United Kingdom

Police will be given new powers to stop protests amid a push back against disruptive tactics

Police chiefs say they can only intervene and arrest activists if their behavior causes “serious disruption”. It was unclear whether walking slowly met the legal definition.

The expanded definition will mean police can require such protests to take place on the sidewalk and take action by removing demonstrators if they refuse.

Once the legal change is made, police officers will not have to treat a series of protests by the same group as separate incidents, but instead can consider their overall impact.

Employees will also be able to stop protests before the disruption occurs.

Mr Sunak said: “The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but it is not absolute. A balance must be struck between the rights of individuals and the rights of the hard-working majority to go about their daily business.

“We cannot have protests conducted by a small minority disrupting the lives of the common public. It is not acceptable and we will put an end to it.

“The police asked us for more clarity to crack down on these guerrilla tactics, and we listened.”

Climate action group Extinction Rebellion has announced it will temporarily halt the protests, which have sparked public concern, but Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil have vowed to continue.

The new amendment comes after police chiefs called on the government to provide more clarity on how the law allows them to break up disruptive demonstrations.