Tory MP’s trans row retweet no longer logged as a ‘hate incident’

A Conservative MP has had a “non-crime hate incident” deleted after complaining that an allegation of transphobia against her was wrongly recorded.

West Mercia Police had received a complaint about Redditch MP Rachel Maclean, who retweeted a post on X, formerly Twitter, which described Green Party activist and transgender woman Melissa Poulton as “a man who wears a wig”.

But after a review, the force has now deleted the incident from its records.

I am pleased to see this ridiculous ‘hate incident’ has been thrown our and all records removed from (the) police database. What a total distraction from policing

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: “We can confirm that after seeking advice that a social media message previously recorded as a non-crime hate incident did not meet the definition of an ‘incident’ as defined by the National Standard for Incident Recording.

“As a result, the ‘hate incident’ and personal details have now been removed from the West Mercia Police systems.”

Non-crime hate incidents are actions that do not break the law, but are perceived to be wholly or partly motivated by hostility or prejudice towards persons with a particular characteristic.

They were introduced following the 1999 inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence six years earlier as a way of providing police with intelligence about incidents that could escalate into more serious harm to indicate heightened community tensions.

Ms Maclean said: “I am pleased to see this ridiculous ‘hate incident’ has been thrown our and all records removed from (the) police database. What a total distraction from policing.”

She added: “I will not stop speaking up on behalf of all women and men who feel gaslighted by those who would deny the biological reality and scientific truth that is staring them in the face.

“While being respectful to all individuals undergoing processes, we must also be clear about facts.”