Masonic leaders argue the Metropolitan Police’s new mandate is discriminatory
According to media reports, Freemasons have requested an emergency injunction from the UK High Court to block the Metropolitan Police’s new rule requiring officers and staff to disclose membership in Freemasonry or similar groups.
The policy is part of ongoing investigations into purported Masonic influence within the force.
The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) said Monday the move aims to halt enforcement of the rule while a full judicial review is prepared.
UGLE—representing Freemasonry in England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands—has opposed the policy, claiming classifying Freemasonry as a “declarable” association amounts to religious discrimination.
Under the policy introduced in December, officers and staff must reveal current or past membership in any organization that is “hierarchical, has confidential membership and requires members to support and protect each other.”
In its court filing, UGLE stated Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley “is making up the law on the hoof” and accused the force of “whipping up conspiracy theories” about Freemasons’ influence.
Adrian Marsh, UGLE’s grand secretary, said the police decision to add Freemasonry to the force’s declarable association list was made without adequate consultation and risks harming members’ integrity.
“There is a contradiction between the Met accepting our request for fuller consultation… but then refusing to suspend the decision pending the outcome of that consultation,” The Guardian quoted Marsh as saying.
He previously noted there are 440 Freemasons among the Met’s 32,135 officers, asserting it is “inconceivable” for this small number to exert any influence on the force.
The Metropolitan Police has said it will “robustly defend” the policy, viewing it as part of efforts to restore public trust and confidence. A spokesperson said the changes were made to ensure there is “no opportunity for secret loyalties” to affect policing.
The requirement follows a recommendation from the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, which examined police handling of the unsolved 1987 murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan. The panel’s 2021 report said officers’ links to Freemasonry had been “a source of recurring suspicion and mistrust” during investigations, following decades of inquiries that raised corruption allegations.