Pride rainbows taken off police cars after court ruling
Northumbria Police has also told its officers and staff they cannot attend a Gay Pride march in uniform this weekend, in a move that could set a precedent for other forces.
Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine ordered the removal of all diversity-based symbols from police cars and vans after a judge rebuked her force over its lack of impartiality.
Northumbria was taken to court by a gender-critical lesbian who said it was wrong for officers to take part in events that promoted gender ideology.
Now, in a letter seen by the Telegraph, the force has confirmed it is withdrawing all visible support for this year's Northern Pride.
Going even further, Ms Jardine, who is LGBT+ communities lead for the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), said all of Northumbria's police vehicles would have Pride livery removed.
The letter stated: 'This work has commenced but may take a short amount of time. No vehicle carrying Pride, Progress and/or transgender colours and/or insignia will be deployed at the Northern Pride march and there are currently no vehicles with this livery deployed operationally.'
The letter made clear that officers and staff would not be allowed to attend the march wearing uniform or anything else that identifies them as being associated with Northumbria Police.
In addition the letter stated that while there would be a police stall at the event, there would be 'no Pride, Progress or transgender colours/insignia on display'.
It is not clear whether Ms Jardine's approach will now be mirrored by other forces, but her role in the NPCC means her position is likely to carry some weight.
The move comes after Linzi Smith, 34, a gender-critical lesbian from Newcastle, brought a case against Northumbria Constabulary, arguing that it had been wrong to allow uniformed officers to actively participate in an event that promoted gender ideology and was supported by transgender activists.
In his ruling, the judge, Mr Justice Linden, said it was important that police forces were not perceived as taking sides in contentious social debates.
He said: 'The fact that the officers had publicly stated their support for transgender rights by taking part in the 2024 march would be likely to give the impression that they may not deal with the matter fairly and impartially.'
The judge was clear that his comments were only a reflection on the force's conduct during last year's march and it was unclear what Northumbria Police's approach would be for this year's event, which is due to take place in Newcastle on Saturday.
The founder of Fair Cop, an organisation which was set up to remove politics from policing and supported the legal challenge, welcomed the move and said hopefully other forces would now follow.
Harry Miller said: 'There was never any place for contested livery on a police van, and we are relieved that the Chief Constable has finally seen sense.
'The message it gave was stark, brutal and overtly political: comply, shut up, or risk facing the consequences.
'A healthy democracy requires rigorous debate, and a police force which remains unstintingly vanilla. Our hope is that chief officers throughout the UK will take note of the positive action by Vanessa Jardine and follow suit.'
Following the High Court ruling, Gavin Stephens, chairman of the NPCC, said forces were working through the details of this judgment.
He added: 'We are also working with the College of Policing on broader guidance which will help local forces make decisions around participation in events to maintain their impartiality.
'Policing values all our communities and will continue to police in a way that aims to build trust and confidence, including among those who have less confidence in our service.
'This is the cornerstone of good policing and especially neighbourhood policing. Our desire to ensure we recognise and provide good policing for all communities will remain unchanged.'
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