Met Police tribunal anonymity bid rejected

An employment tribunal in South London has rejected the Metropolitan Police’s application to anonymise the identity of a witness in a gender-critical belief case.

Sex Matters intervened to object to the Met Police’s anonymity (“rule 49”) application on open-justice and public-interest grounds. We were recognised as having a legitimate interest, and Kerenza Davis made legal submissions and addressed the tribunal on our behalf.

The case of Melanie Newman v The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the third recent gender-critical employment tribunal case where an anonymity order has been refused. Similar orders were applied for by the employers and refused by the tribunal in the cases of Sandie Peggie v Fife Health Board and the Darlington Nurses.

Melanie Newman v The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis

Melanie Newman is bringing a claim of harassment and discrimination based on gender-critical beliefs. The complaint dates back to 2023 when as a trainee police constable she was a virtual attendee at the official Trans Day of Visibility event being held at New Scotland Yard.

The event featured outside speakers Eva Echo, Shea Coffey, Stephanie Robinson and Saba Ali, and organiser and Metropolitan Police employee Kit Moore.

Newman found Eva Echo’s talk in particular shocking, upsetting and highly politicised. According to her notes, Echo referred to those who raise concerns about single-sex spaces and women’s sports as “motivated by hate”, showing “cult-like behaviour” and having “twisted, warped views”.

During a later talk one of the speakers mentioned women’s-rights campaigner “Posie Parker“ (Kellie-Jay Keen). Newman says the audience hissed in response.

After the event Newman visited Echo’s social media and noticed derogatory comments about gender-critical women.

Newman made a complaint about the event and raised a grievance but was told that the Met Police would not take up the issue because Echo was not an employee.

The Women’s Rights Network also complained to Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley.

It received a response saying that the speakers were “independent members of the public” and that the event was intended for those who hold “alternate views about trans/non binary issues” rather than those with gender-critical views.

The response said that if colleagues were unhappy with the event or the behaviour of individuals attending, “there are well-established routes for them to raise concerns themselves and we would encourage them to do so”.