Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the effect of (a) Regulation 7 of the Coronavirus Regulations 2020 and (b) the police use of powers under those regulations at recent protests on people's ability to exercise their right to protest under articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The footage of George Floyd’s death is deeply upsetting and we appreciate the strength of feeling behind the planned #BlackLivesMatter protests, but it is vital to remember that we are still in the midst of a public health crisis.We strongly support the right to protest peacefully, but this pandemic has led to many of our individual freedoms being curtailed because everyone has a role to play in helping to control the virus following the rules. This is how we can continue to save lives so we can recover.

Under the current regulations, gatherings of more than six people from different households are not permitted. We are in close contact with police to ensure they are prepared to respond to any public disorder and have appropriate policing plans in place. How they use these powers is an operational matter for the police, who are independent of Government.

The Police have adopted an effective approach of the 4Es; engaging, explaining and encouraging compliance before moving to enforcement options. The National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing have issued guidance on how they will enforce the regulation. This can be found at https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/understanding-the-law/Pages/default.aspx

Chief constables from forces across the country, the Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Chief Executive of the College of Policing and the President of the Police Superintendents' Association made a statement following the death of George Floyd, which is published at https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/uk-police-stand-with-those-appalled-by-george-floyd-death.