The home secretary has unveiled plans for a major crackdown on climate protesters as she pledged to stop demonstrators holding the public “to ransom”.

Under the plans, Suella Braverman will give police stronger powers to take a more “proactive” approach when dealing with protests that threaten or cause “serious disruption or a serious adverse impact on public safety”.

The tactics have been long favoured by environmental groups, such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, who have staged various disruptive demonstrations in recent months.

New chancellor warns of ‘tough decisions’; star’s foul-mouthed rant for Hunt – Politics latest

“I will not bend to protestors attempting to hold the British public to ransom,” Ms Braverman said.

“Preventing our emergency services from reaching those who desperately need them is indefensible, hideously selfish and in no way in the public interest.

“This serious and dangerous disruption, let alone the vandalism, is not a freedom of expression, nor a human right. It must stop.”

Labour launches attack on Conservatives with scathing adverts as party gears up for general election

Liz Truss sacks Kwasi Kwarteng and scraps more of his mini-budget

The options to remove Liz Truss as some Tory ministers say PM ‘cannot survive’

The minister is aiming to use the government’s Public Order Bill to allow secretaries of state to apply for injunctions in the “public interests” when such protests are planned or taking place.

What is included in the crackdown plans?

This will include protecting access to “essential” goods, services and “key” infrastructure, according to the Home Office.

The proposed legislation, if enacted, would also create a new criminal offence of interfering with businesses such as oil refineries, airports, railways and printing presses, which could carry a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

“Locking on” or “going equipped to lock-on” to other people, objects or buildings to cause “serious disruption” could see people imprisoned for six months or hit with an unlimited fine.

A new criminal office of tunnelling to cause serious disruption could be introduced as well, which would carry a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment as well as the potential for an unlimited fine.

An offence of going equipped to tunnel will also be created.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘It’s high time parliament got behind it’

The Public Order bill will return to parliament for the consideration of MPs next week, with Ms Braverman calling for it to be backed.

“The police need strengthened and tougher powers to match the rise in self-defeating protest tactics, and that’s what the Public Order Bill will do,” she said.

Read more:
Major bridges ‘occupied’ by protesters
Two months embedded with climate change protesters

“It’s high time parliament got behind it and put the law-abiding majority first.”

The Home Office is also promising that stop-and-search measures and new serious disruption prevention orders will support the police, with the latter targeting those repeatedly convicted of protest-related offences.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

More than 350 protesters arrested in less than a month

It comes as Home Office figures reveal more than 350 Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested in London since the start of October.

On Saturday, activists clashed with a driver who was trying to take his partner to hospital as they blocked a road in east London.

Several individuals “locked on” and glued themselves to the road on Shoreditch High Street at the junction of Great Eastern Street, with a total of 26 people arrested as a result.

It marked the 15th day of demonstrations linked to the group – which wants the government to stop issuing all new oil and gas licences.

Earlier this week, two Just Stop Oil activists threw tomato soup over Van Gogh’s masterpiece Sunflowers at the National Gallery in central London.

Related posts:

Man who said ‘he could not breathe’ after being restrained was unlawfully killed, coroner rules Captain Sir Tom Moore: ‘His greatest legacy will be the hope he brought’ ‘Magnificent achievement’: 20 million people have received first coronavirus jab in UK – Hancock Dina Asher-Smith fails to make Olympic 100m final but teammate Daryll Neita through CCTV released of suspect after man, 61, killed in Birmingham hit-and-run Prince Andrew to give evidence under oath next month in civil sex assault case England lose to Scotland as Wales thrashed by Ireland in Six Nations Charles ‘deeply conscious of the honour’ for ‘darling’ wife to be Queen Camilla Boris Johnson may now be safe as PM, but war and an economic crisis mean his job has never been harder Queen misses Royal Ascot for first time since her coronation Government blocks Chinese tech deal on national security grounds National debt grew by £22.9bn in June, as inflation pushes interest payments up