Daniel Morgan Independent Panel Report: Government Response

The former Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), on 10 May 2013 announced the formation of the Daniel Morgan independent panel. Two years ago, on 15 June 2021, the report of the Daniel Morgan independent panel was published. Today I report on the progress made against the recommendations made in that report.

The panel made 23 recommendations as a consequence of the failings of process and accountability it identified in the course of its work. Most of the recommendations were for policing, however there were several for the Government to address. The Government response focuses on four main themes: investigations; tackling corruption; working with inquiries; and information management. Those recommendations relating to the investigations were primarily directed at the Metropolitan Police and policing.

In response to the report’s publication, the previous Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel), asked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service to investigate the issues raised by the panel. HMICFRS concluded its inspection and reported on 22 March 2022. This report was troubling and outlined several failures of the Metropolitan Police, particularly in tackling corruption.

It is not for the Government to respond on behalf of the police or individual forces. But it is clear from the independent report that serious failings occurred over a period of three decades that run counter to the British tradition of policing by consent and the code of ethics this Government introduced in policing in 2014. I expect chief constables to do all they can to ensure that HMICFRS’ recommendations are delivered upon, that similar failings do not reoccur, and that the damage done to public trust is repaired.

In recent years, several steps have been taken by Government to combat police corruption. A new offence of police corruption, applicable solely to police and National Crime Agency officers, now sits alongside the existing offence of misconduct in public office. The new offence carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. To prevent corrupt police officers evading accountability by resigning or retiring, the Policing and Crime Act 2017 enabled the extension of disciplinary procedures to former officers, ensuring that misconduct proceedings can still take place, even where an officer has resigned or retired from policing.

Vetting acts as the first line of defence against corruption within police forces. In January this year, I asked the College of Policing to strengthen its statutory vetting code of practice and make clear the standards expected of all chief officers. I also asked HMICFRS to undertake a rapid review of progress on improving vetting—HMICFRS’ findings were published in May 2023.

Further to improving existing vetting arrangements, I also launched a review in January to ensure that the police officer dismissal process is fair and effective at removing those who are not fit to serve the public. We are considering the findings of this review very carefully and expect to make announcements on next steps in the coming weeks.

The media play an essential role in holding all public institutions to account and it is vital that journalists are able to do their job freely and without restriction. The very fabric of the panel’s report, however, focused on the police’s inappropriate relationships with private investigators and journalists. HMICFRS’s report in response to the panel’s report shows that policing still has work to do to ensure that these types of conflicts of interests are properly investigated.

There were several issues raised by the panel about how they were unable, at times, to progress their work. HMICFRS and the Independent Office for Police Conduct did not find any deliberate obstruction by the Metropolitan Police but there was, at least initially, insufficient support from the force for the panel’s work. We are working across Government to ensure that inquiries and panels of a similar type are able to do their job without hindrance, and we will also work with the police to make clear their responsibilities in this respect.

Policing as a profession is fully aware of the importance of public scrutiny and that shifting the culture away from defensiveness needs to start from within. In 2020 the Home Office introduced a statutory duty of co-operation for police officers, to ensure that officers participate openly and professionally with investigations, inquiries and other formal proceedings. In addition, the College of Policing is currently reviewing the code of ethics, which I expect to further promote a culture of openness and accountability.

I am very grateful to Baroness O’Loan and her panel for their tenacious efforts to review the handling of this matter, and to ensure that lessons are learned for the future. The torment experienced by Daniel Morgan’s family must not be repeated.

The Government response (Cmd 857) has been laid before the House and is also available on gov.uk.

[HCWS854]