The House of Lords has inflicted a number of defeats on the UK government over its plans to clamp down on “disruptive protests.”
The UK government on Jan. 16 announced plans to give police more powers to tackle “disruptive protests” such as those organised by climate activists, allowing officers to intervene before protests become highly disruptive.
But in a setback for the proposed changes to the Public Order Bill, members of the House of Lords on Monday backed by 243 votes to 221, majority 22, a higher threshold before police can intervene in protests with a stricter definition of “serious disruption.”
Later, a government-backed move to prevent protesting “an issue of current debate” being used as a reasonable defence for offences such as locking-on, tunnelling, and blocking roads, was narrowly rejected by 224 votes to 221, majority three….