Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with representatives of the Metropolitan Police on the comments reportedly made by Kate Shemrani at an anti-lockdown protest at Trafalgar Square on 24 July 2021; and if she will make a statement.

The Home Secretary and I hold regular meetings with representatives of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), covering a wide range of subject areas including protest activity.

However, the policing of protests is an operational matter for the police who have comprehensive powers to deal with activities that spread hate or deliberately raise tensions through violence or public disorder.

In this case, it is for the MPS to decide whether any law has been broken and in conjunction with the Crown Prosecution Service, determine whether an action warrants possible criminal proceedings.