The home secretary has commissioned a review into police activism and impartiality as she tells officers to focus on crime rather than being involved in “political matters”.

Suella Braverman said public confidence had been damaged as a result of police engaging in “contentious issues”, such as officers taking a knee in a gesture against racism and policing gender-critical views on social media.

Braverman said: “The British people expect their police to focus on cutting crime and protecting communities – political activism does not keep people safe, solve crimes or support victims, but can damage public confidence.”

Responding to Saturday’s announcement, the Labour party criticised the home secretary for commissioning reports on “her own political obsessions”, rather than setting out practical policies to tackle “Tory failures”.