Boris Johnson’s government will seek to tackle disruptive protests head on with new laws that will allow sentences of up to 12 months in prison for those who “interfere with key national infrastructure” such as airports or printing presses.
A new public order bill to be included in Tuesday’s Queen’s Speech will target protesters from groups such as Extinction Rebellion who have brought disruption to the country in recent years.
The legislation will create new criminal offences of “locking on”, or even “going equipped to lock on”, to prevent people from fixing themselves to building sites or transport systems to cause disruption. This will carry a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment or an unlimited fine. It will also become illegal to obstruct major transport works such as the High Speed 2 rail link from London to northern England.