Contributions
2,107 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)We might as well address that point straight away. As I said to the hon. Member for Croydon Central earlier, there are two tests that the police or, indeed, the courts will have…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)I have a speech. The amendments are concerned with the scope of the new offence of interfering with the use of key national infrastructure. Amendments 49 and 50 replace the words…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)Part of the hon. Lady’s repeated case is that there are already plenty of criminal offences with which we could charge all these people. There is no one yet who she thinks should…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)Maybe I misheard the Leader of the Opposition on the television when he called for exactly that: a national injunction. The hon. Lady has neatly pointed out the complexity—for…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)As the hon. Lady said, clause 4 introduces a new criminal offence of interfering with the operation of “key national infrastructure”. As we heard in our evidence, recent actions…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)As the hon. Lady rightly says, Mr Parr said, I think, that the responses had been exemplary. Work is ongoing. She referred to the printing press incident in Hertfordshire, and she…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)No, but the point is that the clause will make such protesters think twice about their actions, because the offence that they are committing when charged is not necessarily vague.14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)That is— [Interruption.] It is a strong point.14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)I think we can take from that that the hon. Gentleman is voting against the clause. As the hon. Member for Croydon Central says, the clause creates a new offence of obstructing…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)Just a minute. The clause creates a new offence of locking on that will be committed when an individual causes serious disruption by attaching either themselves or someone else to…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)That is just nonsense. The hon. Lady will not address the issue of disruption or reasonable excuse. I am sure the police are able to determine and the courts will interpret what…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)I will give way to the hon. Member for Croydon Central.14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)Does the hon. Lady accept that, in the Bill as drafted, the reasonable excuse defence and the serious disruption requirement mean that not all lock-ons will necessarily be a…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)I am glad that the hon. Lady accepts that the police are asking for more powers; indeed they are.14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)And they have specifically requested a number of the powers in the Bill. The person who, as I hope she will agree, was the most credible witness was the National Police Chiefs’…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)On Cromwell Road in west London, a lorry pulled up and scaffolding was quickly brought out and semi-erected, but as Territorial Support Group 5 happened to be on the scene, the…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)I am grateful to my hon. Friend; she makes a very strong point and she is quite right; that is my experience of talking to the police officers dealing with those protests. She…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)But they did not interfere with the operation of the base.14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)I am always keen to support all forms of non-human participants in crime fighting, from dogs to horses. I am not sure what relevance that has to the legislation. The hon. Member…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Fourth sitting)Greenham is on the edge of my constituency, as I am sure the hon. Lady knows. I hope that she will accept that defence installations are not defined as key national infrastructure…14 Jun 2022