UK government accused of making covert change to protest laws

This move was made despite having been voted down by peers in the Lords.

Initially, the proposed change was contained in primary legislation, the usual way of implementing major laws. But it has now emerged that the measure has been enacted through secondary legislation.

The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee said this was unprecedented.

The legislative change was aimed at aiding the police in dealing with disruptive protests, such as those staged by environmental groups like Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.

The newly introduced regulation reduces the bar for what constitutes “serious” disruption and incorporates other adjustments, such as acknowledging the cumulative effect of recurring protests. The Lords had previously rejected this proposed change during its inclusion in the Public Order Bill, which has now become law.

The news comes as the Metropolitan Police was scrutinised for its handling of protesters during the Coronation last week.

Lord McFall of Alcluith, the Lords Speaker who supervises the second chamber’s operation, noted the importance of secondary legislation and praised peers for highlighting the use of regulations to implement measures they had previously rejected.

Sir Chris Bryant, the Labour chairman of the Commons Committee on Standards, said: “The government is introducing measures by secondary legislation that were rejected when the primary legislation was going through. This makes parliamentary procedure a farce.”