Government plans to give police greater powers to stop protests

As the government pushes ahead with legislation to minimise strike disruption, they today unveiled plans to do the same with protests.

Under the proposals, police would have new powers to shut down demonstrations, like those staged by Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain, before they get underway, in a move denounced by the human rights group Liberty as a ‘desperate attempt to shut down people’s attempts to make their voices heard’.