Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner has come under fire for allocating £5,000 in public funds to support Liverpool Pride.
Emily Spurrell contributed the money as the celebration faced cancellation due to financial constraints.
The donation from the Labour PCC's office represented the largest single contribution from any organisation or individual, enabling the event to proceed on July 26.
However, the payment was made mere weeks before a High Court judge declared that police participation in pride marches while in uniform violated impartiality requirements and constituted unlawful conduct.
PA
|Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner has come under fire for allocating £5,000 in public funds to support Liverpool Pride
Justice Linden ruled that Northumbria Police breached impartiality duties by permitting uniformed officers to march beneath a Progress flag during Newcastle's 2024 Pride in the City parade.
The judge determined that Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine's decision was "contrary to the uniformed officers' duties of impartiality" and violated her "own duty of impartiality".
The case was brought by Linzi Smith, a lesbian who argued that police displaying the Progress flag whilst in uniform suggested endorsement of gender ideology and transgender rights.
Police regulations, established through legislation, mandate that officers maintain impartiality and refrain from activities that could compromise their neutral stance.
PA
|Emily Spurrell is the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner
The High Court decision prompted immediate policy changes across multiple police forces regarding pride event participation.
North Yorkshire's Chief Constable Tim Forber announced that officers not actively policing such events would be prohibited from wearing uniforms at parades, stating that "participating in protest activity, or parades that support any 'cause' can quite rightly undermine the public's confidence in that impartiality."
Greater Manchester Police implemented similar restrictions, with Assistant Chief Constable Stephanie Parker informing staff they could no longer officially represent the force at Manchester Pride.
Parker cited the need to "uphold the principle of operational impartiality" whilst acknowledging potential disappointment among officers.
PA
|Sarah Pochin has criticised the donation as a 'extraordinary misuse of public funds'
Critics have denounced the expenditure as an inappropriate use of public resources at a time of heightened concern about crime.
Reform UK's Sarah Pochin said: "The Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner's £5,000 donation to Liverpool Pride is an extraordinary misuse of public funds."
The MP for Runcorn and Helsby added: "With rising crime and anti-social behaviour, taxpayers want to see safer streets not political gestures."
A local resident expressed disbelief at the timing, describing the decision as "simply stupefying" given the impending High Court case.
They noted the stark contrast between Merseyside's financial contribution and other forces' subsequent withdrawal from pride events following the ruling.
GB News has approached Spurrell for a comment.