Labour ministers were tonight accused of a ‘shameful’ failure to back the police after they were brutally attacked at Manchester Airport.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was criticised for apparently siding with the ‘vile thug’ involved in the attack in the immediate aftermath.
And leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell came under fire for raising concerns about police conduct in Parliament, rather than the welfare of officers.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick asked which side Labour were on, adding: ‘The police need to know we’ve got their backs when they tackle violent offenders’.
Today, one of two brothers who brawled with officers was convicted of assaulting two female cops, one of whom had her nose broken, and a male passenger in the arrivals area of the airport.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was found guilty of attacking PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook in the car park pay station of Terminal 2 on July 23 last year.
He was also found guilty of headbutting holidaymaker Abdulkareem Ismaeil.
Shortly after the fight, footage emerged of PC Zachary Marsden kicking Amaaz in the head – prompting anti-police protests with a number of prominent Labour politicians voicing concern about police conduct.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was found guilty of attacking PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook in the car park pay station of Terminal 2 on July 23 last year
When footage first emerged of the brawl home secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) said she would speak to police about the ‘urgent steps’ they would need to take
Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell (pictured), herself the Labour MP for Manchester Central, said at the time there was ‘understandably a lot of concern’
Leaked CCTV later showed the violent incident, over which Amaaz was convicted, in full.
Before the footage provided a clearer picture of what transpired, Labour MP for Rochdale Paul Waugh told the Commons: ‘The video footage of a Greater Manchester Police officer stamping on and kicking a man in Manchester Airport is truly shocking and disturbing.
‘Our police face a very difficult job every day in keeping us all safe, but they themselves know that they have to expect the highest standards of conduct in their duties.’
Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell, herself the Labour MP for Manchester Central, said she would pass his comments on to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and added: ‘Clearly the footage is incredibly disturbing and there’s understandably a lot of concern, particularly in his constituency because it was his constituent affected.’
And Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she understood ‘the widespread distress’ the footage had caused, and said she had spoken to police about the ‘urgent steps’ they were taking.
She had added that it was ‘essential’ police had the trust of communities, and the public ‘rightly expect high standards from those in charge of keeping us safe’.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Ms Cooper’s comments at the time showed she had been more interested in criticising the police than standing up for brave officers injured in the line of duty.
‘A female officer had her nose broken by this vile thug, and the Home Secretary had nothing to say about that when it happened,’ he said.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp (pictured) described Ms Cooper’s comments after the fight as ‘shameful’
Robert Jenrick demanded a full apology from Ms Powell
Liverpool Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, swinging a punch at Manchester Airport – with PC Lydia Ward hit in the nose
Constable Lydia Ward, who jurors heard is heavily pregnant, told of being ‘terrified’ after coming under attack – as footage of her injuries were was shown to a court
‘Instead, her statement referred to the importance of the ‘trust of communities’ and questioned police standards.
‘It is shameful that Yvette Cooper’s statement did not include any mention of the police officers who were attacked even though it has been reported that she was aware they had been injured when she made it.
‘Yvette Cooper has questions to answer.’
And Mr Jenrick said many were too quick to ‘judge the police’ before they knew the full story.
‘Those Labour politicians who leapt to the defence [of people other than the police] before awaiting the full facts should be ashamed,’ he said. ‘The cabinet minister, Lucy Powell, mistakenly raised concerns in the House of Commons. She should issue a full public apology.
‘Police officers do a difficult job. They don’t always get it right. But if we’re to fight crime and make our country safe again, the police need to know we’ve got their backs when they tackle violent offenders.’
Ms Cooper hit back tonight, saying she had always offered strong support to police officers who face appalling situations every day.
Aides pointed to an interview from earlier this month where she addressed the issue.
CCTV shows the moment Mohammed Fahir Amaaz grapples with policewomen Lydia Ward (front) and Ellie Cook (behind) after his attempted arrest at Manchester Airport
Ms Cooper told Times Radio: ‘I have always and continually offered strong support to police officers, who face appalling situations every day of the week [and] I have spoken with Greater Manchester Police about this incident to ensure the officers get the support they need because it is important that they do.
‘At the time, Greater Manchester Police referred that case to make sure it was fully investigated, and it was. It has been investigated properly by the CPS, who bought charges and to make sure that all the circumstances were investigated.
‘But let’s be clear, police officers face the most appalling situations every single day of the week.
They show incredible bravery and incredible resilience when they do and it’s right we should support our police officers, just as we did last night.
‘It was the 15th Police Bravery Awards that I went to last night that I have been to in a row. I have been to every one every year for the past 15 years, exactly because I think its right to support our brave police officers.’
Jurors at Liverpool Crown Court could not reach majority verdicts on either Amaaz or his elder brother Muhammed Amaad, 26, for assault causing actual bodily harm on PC Marsden.
The Crown Prosecution Service will now seek a retrial of both brothers in relation to the allegations that Amaaz and Amaad assaulted PC Marsden causing actual bodily harm, Paul Greaney KC told the court.
