Overview
- MPs in the House of Commons approved the protest change Tuesday by 247 to 21, advancing a clause that tightens controls on recurring demonstrations and sending the wide Crime and Policing Bill back to the Lords.
- The clause tells senior police to weigh the combined impact of past and planned protests in an area when setting limits on routes, hours, or crowd size, and breaking those conditions could bring arrest and up to six months in jail.
- The Home Office says the move protects communities from repeated disruption, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood citing fear reported by Jewish residents and saying protest rights must be balanced with the right to feel safe.
- Opposition has grown across civil society, with more than 45 groups and 19 faith leaders warning the measure is vague and overbroad, and a backbench bid led by Labour’s Andy McDonald drew cross‑party support but failed.
- The debate sits alongside a legal backlash to policing of Palestine activism, after the High Court ruled the 2025 terrorism ban on Palestine Action unlawful, prosecutions were paused, and rights groups warned the UK risks breaching international obligations.