Masonic leaders say the Metropolitan Police’s new requirement is discriminatory
Freemasons have asked the UK High Court for an emergency injunction to block the Metropolitan Police’s new requirement that officers and staff must declare if they are members of Freemasonry or similar groups, according to media reports.
The policy is part of ongoing investigations into alleged masonic influence within the department.
The move seeks to halt enforcement of the rule while a full judicial review is prepared, the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) reportedly said on Monday.
UGLE, which represents Freemasonry in England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, has opposed the policy, arguing that classifying Freemasonry as a “declarable” association amounts to religious discrimination.
Under the policy introduced in December, officers and staff must disclose current or past membership in any organization that is “hierarchical, has confidential membership and requires members to support and protect each other.”
In its court filing, UGLE said Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley “is making up the law on the hoof” and accused the force of “whipping up conspiracy theories” about Freemasons’ influence.
UGLE grand secretary Adrian Marsh said the police decision to add Freemasonry to the force’s declarable association list was made without adequate consultation and risks impugning members’ integrity.
“There is a contradiction between the Met acceptance of our request for fuller consultation… but then refusing to suspend the decision pending the outcome of that consultation,” The Guardian quoted Marsh as saying.
He previously stated that there are 440 Freemasons among the Met’s 32,135 officers, asserting that it is “inconceivable” for this small number to exert any influence on the force.
The Metropolitan Police has said it will “robustly defend” the policy, which it views as part of efforts to restore public trust and confidence. A spokesperson said the changes were made to ensure there is “no opportunity for secret loyalties” to affect policing.
The requirement follows a recommendation from the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, which examined police handling of the unsolved 1987 murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan. The panel’s 2021 report said officers’ links to Freemasonry had been “a source of recurring suspicion and mistrust” during investigations and followed decades of inquiries that raised allegations of corruption.
