Cooper Urges Reform To Support Police After Party Attacks Essex Force

Yvette Cooper has condemned Reform UK for criticising the policing of protests outside an Essex hotel used to house asylum seekers.

- Rowena Mason Ben Quinn Rajeev Syal

Nigel Farage had accused Ben-Julian Harrington, the Essex police chief, of "bussing" in anti-fascist protesters, after the force escorted them through opposing demonstrators in Epping. Harrington said Reform's claims were "categorically wrong".

The home secretary said: "The police do a really important job across our country keeping people safe. It is really important frankly that people support our police rather than just attacking them continually. As we have seen, Reform is one day calling for chief constables to resign, the next it is attacking female police officers who are out on our streets every single day of the week."

Farage has repeatedly weighed in on the debate about the Bell hotel in Epping, claiming earlier this week: "Hard-left groups Stand Up To Racism and Antifa were given the red carpet treatment by Essex police, with the force literally escorting and bussing masked thugs to and from the protest... caught red-handed helping to light the fuse that led to violence."

Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent in the Metropolitan police, said Farage's claims that police had sided with counter-protesters were wrong, and "British values" meant he should correct the public record. "British values mean if a politician makes a mistake, they put their hand up and acknowledge it. He knows it is false."