Home Office minister accused of putting A66 joyriders ‘on a par’ with dead police officers in crash tribute – but claims local force told her to do so
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A Home Office minister, Anna Turley, has come under fire from a senior Conservative MP after she paid tribute to all seven people killed in a crash on the A66, including the five young men whose vehicle struck and killed two police officers. Nick Timothy, the Shadow Justice Secretary, accused the Labour MP for Redcar of putting "thugs" on a "par" with the officers, arguing it was inappropriate for a Home Office minister to equate the perpetrators with their victims. Turley strongly rejected the criticism, calling it an attempt to score political points from a tragedy.
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died when their response vehicle was struck by a Volkswagen Passat being driven the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough, killing all five occupants of the car as well. Turley said the identities of the five men were not public when she laid flowers and posted her tribute, and claimed Cleveland Police had specifically asked her to honour all seven victims in any public message; the force declined to confirm or deny this when asked by the Daily Mail. Timothy, in a written response, said such a request from a police force to an MP would be "extraordinary" and that he had never known one to be made during his time working in government.
- Minister Anna Turley criticised for tribute treating all seven crash victims equally.
- Tory MP Nick Timothy says this puts "thugs" on par with dead officers.
- Turley says Cleveland Police asked her to honour all victims; force won't confirm.
Full account
Home Office minister Anna Turley has faced criticism after publicly paying tribute to all seven people who died in a collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough. The crash killed Cleveland Police officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, who were in a marked response vehicle, along with the five occupants of a Volkswagen Passat reported to have been travelling the wrong way on the road. Turley, Labour MP for Redcar, said she had laid flowers in South Bank on behalf of the community and expressed sympathy for the families and friends of everyone killed.
Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said the minister’s wording wrongly treated the officers and the occupants of the other vehicle as equivalent. He argued that the principal tragedy was the deaths of the two officers while on duty, and referred to allegations that the Passat’s occupants had driven unlawfully and dangerously. His intervention centred on Turley’s position as a Home Office minister and on whether a public tribute should distinguish between those killed and those alleged to have caused the collision.
Turley rejected the criticism, describing it as appalling and accusing Timothy of seeking political advantage from a traumatic event. She said that all seven people who died had relatives and loved ones now grieving, and maintained that the identities of the five people in the Passat had not been publicly known when she made her visit. She also said Cleveland Police had asked her to pay respects to all those who had died, an account that is central to her response to the accusation that she had placed the groups ‘on a par’.
Separate reporting has suggested the events before the crash may have involved more than unauthorised driving for excitement. The Daily Mail said the stolen Passat was allegedly pursuing a Volvo after the Volvo had rammed the home of the father of one of the dead passengers shortly before the collision. It reported claims of a dispute between rival groups and noted wider police arrests connected to suspected organised crime, firearms and drugs offences. These allegations remain distinct from the immediate political dispute over Turley’s tribute, and the reports do not establish through a court finding who was responsible for the sequence of events leading to the crash.
Where outlets differ
The first report focuses on the political row: Timothy’s objection to Turley’s tribute and her claim that police had asked her to honour all seven victims. The second report concentrates on alleged background to the collision, saying the Passat may have been involved in a pursuit linked to a feud rather than ‘joyriding’.
The first source characterises the five occupants through Timothy’s highly critical language and alleged driving history, while the second introduces unverified claims about rival groups, a rammed house and subsequent arrests. Neither account, as presented, supplies a judicial determination of the crash’s cause.
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