The truth about two-tier policing in Britain

Does Britain have a two-tier policing system? Accusations that some protesters are treated differently to others have emerged in the wake of this week’s riots and the various counter-protests that have taken place. But while the blame is being directed at Sir Keir Starmer – with Elon Musk tweeting about ‘two-tier Keir’ – questions over the police’s handling of protests must not solely be directed at Britain’s current Prime Minister. Since 2020, I’ve harboured an uncomfortable feeling about the way protests are dealt with – and a sense that something is wrong.

That year, as lockdown elided into rafts of complex restrictions, I was a fly-on-the-wall at various demonstrations in London, where I was helping feed the homeless. What I saw troubled me deeply.

Central London during the pandemic was surreal. Only two groups of people populated the empty streets: police inhabiting red vans; and hundreds of homeless people.