L

Lord Sikka (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 4 February 2026

Debate

Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2025

Contribution

My Lords, I will be brief. I have a number of concerns. This SI is part of a trend towards silencing dissent to protect corporate interests. It is hard to think of any legislation in recent years which has enhanced people’s right to dissent or protest, even though almost all emancipatory change has been the outcome of protests. We seem to have a kind of social evolution in reverse here. There does not appear to have been much public consultation on this SI, either. The Explanatory Memorandum accompanying the SI states that the consultation “has taken place informally via engagement with key stakeholders, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the National Police Coordination Centre, and local police forces who regularly police protest activity targeting the Life Sciences sector”. No mention is made of any discussion with civil society organisations or any public invitation to comment on the SI. So it appears that “informally” just means discussing it with some highly privileged parties, which seems to exclude the public in general.

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