The Metropolitan Police won a legal fight to require officers and staff to declare if they are or have been Freemasons. Three Freemason groups and two serving officers tried to stop the policy at a high court. Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled the rule "serves a legitimate aim, maintaining and enhancing public trust in policing, and is proportionate." The Met updated its rules in December to include Freemasons and similar groups in its list of associations that staff must declare. About 400 members have already declared. The judge said the rule stops real or perceived bias in police work. It was not "discriminatory or unduly stigmatising." He noted that leaving declarations to personal choice wouldn’t keep public trust strong. Cmdr Simon Messinger said the verdict was "welcome" and stressed that the policy ensures no investigations are tainted by conflicts of loyalty. Freemasons’ lawyers called the policy a "black list" and claimed it was based on stereotypes and breached human rights. But the court found no basis for these claims and backed the Met’s stance that employees are free to join Freemasons but must declare it for transparency.