The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Democracy and the Constitution has announced an inquiry into the Metropolitan Police’s handling of the vigil for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common last month
The APPG used its inaugural meeting last month to declare an inquiry focusing on whether key constitutional rights were properly protected at the vigil, and the implications of this for the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill currently before the House of Commons. It will collect written evidence from the Metropolitan Police, the vigil’s organisers and attendees, and independent experts. It will hold public hearings this month, and report its findings at an event in May.
The meeting also welcomed barrister Dr Sam Fowles of Cornerstone Barristers, who has been appointed as counsel to the APPG. Sam will lead a panel of constitutional lawyers advising the APPG on legal issues as they arise.
