News / Politics

Concerns raised about creeping authoritarianism amid coronavirus crisis

Tuesday, 31 March 2020 5:44 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 31 March 2020 6:22 PM ]

A former Justice of the Supreme Court Lord Sumption has raised questions about the potential political ramifications of the government's draconian measures

As the British public creaks under draconian lockdown measures there are growing protests at the police’s heavy-handed tactics in enforcing quarantine and social distancing measures.

A former Supreme Court judge has even described one police force’s approach to enforcing restrictions as mimicking the actions of “a police state”.

Jonathan Sumption – better known as Lord Sumption – told BBC Radio 4’s World At one programme on March 30 that Derbyshire Police’s use of drones to film walkers in the Peak District was “disgraceful” and “shamed our [British] policing traditions”.

Despite posts yesterday highlighting issues of people still visiting the #PeakDistrict despite government guidance, the message is still not getting through. @DerPolDroneUnit have been out at beauty spots across the county, and this footage was captured at #CurbarEdge last night. pic.twitter.com/soxWvMl0ls
— Derbyshire Police (@DerbysPolice) March 26, 2020

Lord Sumption claimed that “the tradition of policing in this country [Britain] is that policemen are citizens in uniform, they are not members of a disciplined hierarchy operating just at the government's command."

"The police have no power to enforce ministers' preferences but only legal regulations which don't go anything like as far as the government's guidance", he added.

And in a massive swipe both at the government and the police, Lord Sumption exclaimed: "This is what a police state is like … It's a state in which the government can issue orders or express preferences with no legal authority and the police will enforce ministers' wishes”.

Lord Sumption’s position has been strongly endorsed by contrarian conservative journalist, Peter Hitchens, who has strenuously questioned both the lethality of COVID-19 – the disease caused by coronavirus – and the draconian measures introduced to contain the threat.

The Gumption of Sumption. Britain's finest legal mind thinks the government has gone far to far in shutting down the country: pic.twitter.com/fe1AZgjjGC
— Peter Hitchens (@ClarkeMicah) March 31, 2020

Growing objections at the severity of the lockdown – and its potential political consequences – come on the heels of a flurry of reports of police clamping down on the most ordinary every day activities.

In a notorious incident, again involving Derbyshire Police, officers raided a house party on the grounds that it breached government “advice and rules”.

Group 1 Officers have just attended an address in absolute shock to find 25 adults and children having a massive party with speakers and karaoke. Everyone dispersed and hosts dealt with.

It is clear people are still having complete disregard for the Government advice and rules. pic.twitter.com/g3GFGhFN6e
— Derby West Response (@DerWestResponse) March 29, 2020

The increasingly vocal protests of prominent establishment figures like Lord Sumption come in the wake of government warnings that the lockdown conditions could potentially last “six months”.