Freemasons will not appeal Met disclosure ruling

Freemasons will not appeal a High Court ruling that upheld a Metropolitan Police policy requiring officers and staff to declare membership of the organisation.

The ruling by Mr Justice Chamberlain rejected UGLE's application for judicial review of the Met's decision to class Freemasonry as a declarable association.

The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) said it believed the judgment contained "legal and factual errors", but after taking legal advice it decided an appeal "would not be in the best interests of Freemasonry".

After the Met's disclosure policy came into force, more than 300 Met officers and staff declared their involvement in the Freemasons or other groups.

The organisation maintains that the policy is "unfair and discriminatory" and that the decision reflects "a fundamental misunderstanding of Freemasonry as it is today".

UGLE describes modern Freemasonry as a non‑religious and non‑political movement that promotes integrity, respect, friendship and charity.

It said members contribute positively to their communities and uphold high standards of moral conduct.

The group acknowledged the wider pressure on the Met to make vetting processes more transparent but said it was concerned about proportionality in how the policy is applied.

UGLE has made submissions to the Angiolini Inquiry, which is examining police vetting, urging that all associations be treated equally.

During the court case, the Met offered clarifications on how it would handle data from Freemason officers.

The force said declarations would be stored confidentially and accessible only to five senior officers.

It said the information would only be used where relevant to conflicts of interest or to criminal or misconduct investigations.

The Met confirmed it had not taken disciplinary action against anyone for failing to declare their membership.

Following the judgment, UGLE encouraged any members working for the Met who had delayed making a declaration to now do so.

Grand secretary of UGLE, Adrian Marsh, said the organisation would intensify efforts to explain modern Freemasonry and its community value.

He said: "We will now redouble our work on showcasing what Freemasonry is today, its positive effect on society and the work it does for improving the lives of others.

"Misconceptions remain and we have a duty to address these and explain modern Freemasonry to the public."

He said members were "ordinary people making positive contributions to their communities".

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