Carlisle MP bids for recognition for Britain’s first black policeman

Labour candidate Julie Minns ousted Conservative John Stevenson in the recent General Election to take up the Carlisle seat.

One of her first acts since taking on the role has been to table an early day motion (EDM), urging Parliament to recognise Cumbrian police officer John Kent’s impact on policing through his role as Britain’s first serving black officer.

EDMs are submitted for debate in the House of Commons, but have no fixed date for debate. Even if they never make it to debate, they are used to put on record the views of MPs or to draw attention to specific events or campaigns.

The makeup of the House of Commons has changed drastically after the election (Image: PA) The 220th anniversary of John Kent’s birth falls in 2025, and Julie is hoping the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art will consider commissioning his portrait to commemorate the occasion.

Her EDM calls upon the House of Commons to pay tribute to Mr Kent, who died on July 20, 1886.

Mr Kent was the son of a freed slave, Thomas Kent, who began his policing career in Maryport in 1835 before transferring to the Carlisle City Police in 1837. At that time, police officers were also firefighters, and so he was frequently at the heart of danger.

The motion urges the house to “commend John Kent for his service, in particular his policing of the Carlisle election riots during which he and other officers were injured”.

Julie said: “People are astonished to hear that Britain’s first black police officer was not only from Carlisle, but that he served more than 130 years before the first black officer joined the metropolitan police force.

Julie Minns MP (Image: Supplied) “Despite being the son of a freed slave, Mr Kent’s devotion to the community of Cumbria was such that he was willing to put himself out there and become Britain’s first black police officer.

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“Time and again he put his life on the line to save the community and colleagues, with tales of his actions including being stoned during the Carlisle riots, disarming a man with a knife, and rescuing a 17-year-old from drowning.

“As we approach this milestone of his birth, I think it is only right that we now formally recognise and honour Mr Kent.”