TWO serving police officers have begun legal action at the High Court aimed at overturning the ban on officers joining or forming a trade union.

They have served proceedings seeking permission to apply for a judicial review to repeal section 64 of the Police Act 1996, which bars police officers from belonging to any trade union other than the statutory Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW).

Greater Manchester Police officer Lee Broadbent and former PFEW deputy national secretary Gemma Fox are seeking a declaration that the current law is incompatible with article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to freedom of association.

Responding to a pre-action protocol letter sent by their lawyers Leigh Day, then home secretary Yvette Cooper claimed on August 29 that allowing police officers to join trade unions would undermine the political neutrality that is required of the police service.