The UK government on Monday suffered 14 defeats as the House of Lords voted against a raft of proposed measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill. The controversial measures were inserted into the bill to target eco-activist groups such as Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Insulate Britain, whose members use tactics such as blocking traffic on busy roads and motorways, and gluing or locking themselves on roads and other infrastructures. But peers from the opposition parties criticised the proposals that they said are “draconian” and would give the police “sweeping, significant, and further controversial powers” that are “a wider assault on our democracy.” New powers turned down by the peers included allowing police officers to stop and search anyone at a protest “without suspicion” for “locking-on” devices that can prevent the police from removing traffic-disrupting protesters. A move that would allow individuals with a history of causing serious disruption to be …