The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has entered the national conversation centred on the disappearance of Nicola Bulley. He has said that he was ‘concerned’ private information about the how the details describing the personal life of the St. Michael’s On Wyre mum-of-two had been put into the public domain. His colleague, Home Secretary Suella Braverman, likewise shared her deep worries, demanding an ‘explanation’ from Lancashire Police over the decision to reveal details of the private life of the 45-year-old Nicola who disappeared on 27th January during a riverside dog walk.

This adds to the widespread criticism centred upon Lancashire Police’s decision to release details of Nicola Bulley’s private life.

A former detective, Martyn Underhill, who worked on the Sarah Payne case in 2000, told Sky News that Lancashire Police had ‘completely destroyed’ Nicola Bulley’s reputation by revealing her struggles with alcohol.

The issue of sexism was flagged up by Dame Vera Baird, former Solicitor General for England & Wales. The high ranking barrister told Radio 4 that she believed Lancashire Constabulary had made a ‘dreadful error’ in disclosing the missing mother-of-two’s vulnerabilities. She also said she is worried it will stop people making complaints in the future and wondered if such details would have been released if she was a man.

In response Lancashire Police say they will conduct an internal review into the Nicola Bulley investigation. The force confirmed a date had been set for the review, which will be conducted by their Head of Crime, Detective Chief Superintendent Pauline Stables.

In a statement, a spokeswoman said: ‘A review of the investigation is diarised and will be conducted by our Head of Crime Detective Chief Superintendent Pauline Stables. She is also PIP 4 accredited and has attended the national reviewer course.’