Boris Johnson warns that Keir Starmer's British police 'are like the Soviet Union'

Boris Johnson attacks the growing scourge of the “thought police” in Sir Keir Starmer’s Britain, comparing it to “the Soviet Union at its worst”.

Writing in today's Daily Mail, the former prime minister says police investigations into social media comments are “straight out of 1980s Romania, and the country's horrible curtain culture.” which people reported on their friends, even members of their family.”

It comes amid a growing backlash against “non-criminal hate incidents”, where already overwhelmed officers investigate comments and actions that are not considered serious enough to constitute an offense.

The issue was thrust into the spotlight this week when two Essex police officers visited columnist Allison Pearson following a complaint about a social media post from a year ago, which has since been deleted.

Ms. Pearson says she has not been told what message generated the accusation, or who made it. Mr Johnson said it was “blatantly false, tyrannical and evocative of the Soviet Union at its worst”.

“The police should clearly drop their investigation into this deleted tweet immediately,” he said.

“This would all be a joke, if it weren't so serious for Allison Pearson and for all of us living in Starmer's Britain today.”

The Free Speech Union has branded non-criminal hate incidents (NCHI) the 'thought police' as they were revealed to have been used to investigate children as young as nine .

Writing in today's Daily Mail, the former prime minister says police investigations into social media comments are 'straight out of 1980s Romania'.

Johnson tackles the growing scourge of the 'thought police' in Sir Keir Starmer's Britain.

Sir Keir this week backed their use, prompting Mr Johnson to attack the Prime Minister's “immortal skill at putting himself on the wrong side of the argument”.

“If someone doesn't like what you said, you can be convicted of a non-criminal hate incident, or worse, and be damned forever. Isn't this a nightmare?

“It is certainly a disaster for the police, because good officers have to waste their time with this nonsense, so they cannot witness the burglaries; and every hour they spend scanning the ether for “offensive” tweets is an hour they can't spend deterring the criminal gangs who steal your cell phone.

He adds: “Little by little, we are losing our moral place. Our enemies can detect this erosion of ancient British freedoms, and they will exploit it without hesitation… We are witnessing a relentless and sometimes brutal drowning of those who dare to voice their disagreement.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told the Daily Telegraph: “We need to end this behavior of people wasting police time on trivial incidents because they don't like something, like they're in a nursery. It's like children denouncing themselves.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves agreed, saying investigating children's comments about the style of playgrounds was not “the best use of police time”.

Instead, officers should focus on ensuring “towns and main streets are safe,” she added.

A former Director of Public Prosecutions also warned that suggesting police record even more “trivial” NCHIs would be a “terrible mistake”. Lord Macdonald has urged Home Secretary Yvette Cooper not to weaken restrictions on police on how they use reports.

Ms Cooper is believed to want to make it easier for police to use NCHIs for anti-Semitic and Islamophobic abuse, but Lord Macdonald warned that increasing their use could have “real-world consequences” for individuals potentially innocent.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to a North Wales business

Last night, Number 10 said it was important police spend their time protecting the public.

Free speech advocates also say an easing of restrictions, first introduced by former interior minister Suella Braverman last year, could have devastating effects.

Doctors, vicars and social workers are among those in positions of authority questioned over allegations such as misdiagnosing patients or saying homosexuality is a religious sin. NCHIs are technically reserved for cases “clearly motivated by intentional hostility” with a real risk of escalation “causing significant harm or a criminal offense.”

But anyone flagged as such can have the details passed to a potential employer as part of a thorough criminal record check.

Last night, Number 10 said it was important police spent their time protecting the public, but added that NCHI recording was used as a tool to prevent escalation and future crimes.

But Jake Hurfurt, of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: “Forces must ensure they protect free speech and privacy by only recording NCHIs when it is necessary to do so. absolutely necessary. »

He added: “The Home Secretary's plans to expand the scope of NCHI registration are alarming, and she should press pause on the chilling effect such a move could have on freedom expression in the United Kingdom.” Earlier this week it emerged that 45 police forces recorded 13,200 NCHIs in the 12 months to June this year. They notably investigated a nine-year-old girl who called a classmate “retarded” and a doctor accused of misdiagnosing someone because he was bisexual.

Another person complained to police about being excluded from a social media friendship group because they were “too active and exhausting.”