Labour MP Dawn Butler Receives Heavy Criticism Following Her Confrontation With Police Officers

Metropolitan Police Federation Chairman Praises Officers’ Handling.

Following the events on Sunday 9th August, which saw the Labour MP involved in a police vehicle stop, Dawn Butler posted a clip of the altercation with police officers. After posting the video, she said: “We were stopped because we’re two black people driving in a nice car in Hackney.”

Since then, Ms Butler has branded the Metropolitan Police as “institutionally racist” and has called for “systemic change”.

This has sparked a response from the Met Police Federation chairman, Ken Marsh, who stated during an interview on TalkRadio that the accusation “saddens” him. Mr Marsh is calling for the police body camera footage to be released, given that only a “clip” of the video was posted by Dawn Butler, and he believes it would show a “different story” as she refuses to upload the full video.

He went on to say: “Let’s get this very clear. Dawn Butler wasn’t stopped and searched. She spoke to some police officers and was quite belligerent and rude to them.”

The Deputy Commissioner of the Met Police, Sir Steve House, has also expressed his support for the officers involved, saying: “The officers who stopped MP Dawn Butler in a car did not know she was black because the windows were tinted.”

According to the Met Police website, a police officer can legally stop any vehicle at any time and ask to see driving documents, check the condition of the vehicle or deal with driving offences.

Dawn Butler has also come under fire from Conservative London Assembly member Shaun Bailey, who took to Twitter to defend the police. The London Mayor hopeful tweeted:

“I’ve been stopped and searched, Dawn. Yes, police make mistakes. But they’re not racist. Instead of political attacks, let’s improve relations between police and the communities they serve. As Mayor, I’ll back our police. I’ll never defund them like @SadiqKhan.”

The Metropolitan Police have been urged to release the footage by the Police Federation, but they are yet to do so.