Language used by Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, in an interview with LBC and an article on this site has been the subject of legal action in the High Court. A verdict has been reached and Mr Hirst has issued the following statement and apology:
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, said, “I wish to apologise to Allison Pearson, the Daily Telegraph journalist, for accusations I made about her in an interview I gave to Lewis Goodall of LBC on 17 November 2024, and in an article I wrote for ConservativeHome which I later published on my own website.
“I intended to address wider issues about hate crimes and policing rather than to make accusations against her personally, but I accept, as the High Court has found that I did accuse her personally, I should not have made those allegations against her. I am very sorry for the damage and hurt I have caused to her, and I have agreed to pay her substantial damages and costs in recognition of that.”
As a result of this verdict, where the article from November 2024 referred directly or indirectly to Allison Pearson, those passages have been removed, the headline amended and Mr Hirst’s statement and apology added at the head of the article. The legal action was not directed at LBC, or ConservativeHome.
