Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent environmental protests that endanger the lives of others.

Peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. However, there is a balance to be struck and rights to peaceful protest do not extend to highly disruptive and dangerous acts, such as tunnelling, which places not only the lives of the protesters at risk, but also those who rescue them.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act has already increased the maximum penalty for those who obstruct the highway, putting their lives and those of road users at risk. The Public Order Bill further improves the police’s ability to respond to dangerous protest acts by criminalising tunnelling which causes serious disruption and creating serious disruption prevention orders; a new court order that targets the most prolific protesters.