Police delete ‘hate incident’ from Tory MP’s record after trans Twitter row with Greens

A Tory deputy chairman has had a “hate incident” scrubbed from her record by police following a challenge by a free speech campaign group.

West Mercia Police recorded a “non-crime hate incident” (NCHI) against Rachel Maclean in December, following a transphobia row involving a Green Party candidate.

The MP for Redditch said that the Greens “don’t know what a woman is” when they selected Melissa Poulton, a transgender woman, to stand in a neighbouring Worcestershire constituency.

But Mrs Maclean, along with the Free Speech Union (FSU), have successfully challenged West Mercia Police who have now “removed” details of the incident from their records.

In a letter shared by the Guido Fawkes website, Richard Cooper, Deputy Chief Constable of West Mercia Police, said: “Having sought the advice from the Legal Department and Force Crime and Incident Registrar, it has been determined that the 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 indeed the personal details have now been removed from the West Mercia Police systems.”

Mrs Maclean has said that she 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,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

She added that she was “pleased to see this ridiculous ‘hate incident’ has been thrown out and all records removed from [the] police database.”

Mrs Maclean went on to describe the incident as “a total distraction from policing”.

‘Police need to focus on cutting crime’

The Tory deputy chairman has had several fellow MPs express support for her following the decision by West Mercia Police.

Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, described it as a “good outcome”.

“As Home Secretary I changed the rules on the recording of Non-Crime Hate Incidents to prevent precisely this kind of problem & to protect free expression,” she said. “The police need to focus on cutting crime, not debating gender on social media.”

Mrs Maclean was widely reported to have shared a post on social media describing Ms Poulton as a “man who wears a wig and calls himself a ‘proud lesbian’” in December.

She added her own comment: “While the Greens don’t know what a woman is, my Worcestershire neighbours the people of Bromsgrove certainly do.”

The Redditch MP said at the time that she had apologised for offence caused to Ms Poulton, but added: “I have not and will not apologise for my comments relating to the Green Party’s extreme policies on gender and self-ID ideology.”

The FSU, headed up by Toby Young, describes itself as a “non-partisan, mass membership public interest body that stands up for the speech rights of its members and campaigns for free speech more widely”.

West Mercia Police have been contacted for comment.