Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will publish operational guidance for the recently amended Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023.

In February the Government made the Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2026 to amend the definition of key national infrastructure in the Public Order Act 2023, to include life sciences infrastructure. This extended the offence of deliberate or reckless disruption or interference with the use or operation of key national infrastructure in England and Wales to the life sciences sector. The regulations came into force on 12 February 2026.

The College of Policing, in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, will shortly be issuing operational guidance to police force command teams on this legislative change.