More than 300 Metropolitan Police officers and staff have declared their involvement in the Freemasons or other “hierarchical associations” after the force required them to do so last month, a High Court judge has said.

The Met announced in December that membership of the Freemasons or similar organisations would be added to its declarable associations policy.

Officers and staff were required to declare membership “past or present” of any organisation that was “hierarchical, has confidential membership and requires members to support and protect each other”.

The move prompted the bodies representing Freemasons to begin legal action over the force’s decision at the High Court.

The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), also acting on behalf of the Order of Women Freemasons (OWF) and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (HFAF), said last month that it was seeking an injunction to suspend the policy until the outcome of the full challenge.

In a court order on 2 January, which was published on Monday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said the issue of whether to grant an injunction would be determined by a judge without a hearing this week.

He said: “The challenged decision purports to impose a requirement to disclose involvement with Masonic and other associations.

“The requirement is applicable immediately.

“However, there is no pressing need for immediate interim relief at this stage, given that some 300 officers and staff have already declared their involvement in Masonic and other hierarchical associations.”

Chamberlain added that there was no suggestion the Met planned to take disciplinary action officers or staff for not making a declaration “in the next few weeks”.

The judge also said the force had “agreed to consider whether to withdraw the challenged decision in the light of representations” from the OWF and HFAF.

The force confirmed that 316 officers and staff had declared a membership to the Freemasons or a hierarchical association.

A UGLE spokesperson said it came as “no surprise” that many Freemasons complied with the policy as most of their members were “proudly open about their Freemasonry”.

They added: “While this policy stigmatises all Freemasons, it is deeply regrettable that those hardworking and honourable men and women that wish to keep their Freemasonry private are being threatened with disciplinary sanction if they do not comply.”

They said they now awaited the court’s ruling on their application for an injunction.

The Met previously said it would “robustly defend” a challenge against its decision, which it said followed a survey of officers and staff that showed two-thirds of respondents felt membership of such organisations affected perception of police impartiality and public trust.

Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley previously pushed the plan to declare membership as part of wider transparency in the force.

The UGLE previously said that the reporting requirement could undermine the public credibility of Freemasons and could breach their human rights and GDPR rules. It also claimed that less than 5% of officers and staff completed the survey on the issue.

What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry is a centuries-old fraternal organisation with about six million members worldwide, including more than 200,000 in England and Wales.

Its roots lie in the medieval stonemasons' guilds, and members still meet in "lodges" to carry out secretive initiation rituals and ceremonies.

The Biblical figure King Solomon is central to Freemasonry - his construction of First Temple in Jerusalem is reflected in Masonic ideals of self-development and spiritual growth.

Members are required to believe in a Supreme Being - though not be members of a specific religion - and are reportedly prohibited from discussing politics or religion at Masonic meetings.

Freemasons wear symbolic aprons and progress through degrees of membership, with the phrase "giving someone the third degree" originating from its final stage of initiation. (BBC, but headline rejigged)

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