Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing (a) fines and (b) prison terms for people who participate in protests that (i) stop the free flow of traffic and (ii) block emergency vehicles.

It is unacceptable that protests should disrupt our incredible emergency services or hard-working people going about their daily business.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 is already in force. This raised the maximum penalty for wilful obstruction of the highway to 6 months’ imprisonment, a level 3 fine on the standard scale, or both.

The Public Order Act 2023, which received Royal Assent on 2 May, has also introduced new measures to improve the police’s ability to respond to highly disruptive protests. This includes the offence of interference with key national infrastructure and locking-on, which carry a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both and six months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both, respectively.

In addition, Parliament has approved a Statutory Instrument providing greater clarity to law enforcement on when conditions can be imposed on protest causing serious disruption. Since that was enacted, we have seen a swifter response to slow walks in London.

We will continue to work closely with the police going forwards to make sure they are able to make full use of these powers.