The government has suffered a series of defeats in the House of Lords over its plans to clamp down on disruptive protests, with peers voting to make misogyny a hate crime in England and Wales. The defeats came during debates on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which includes controversial measures to curb noisy and disruptive demonstrations.
Opposition peers voted against giving police new powers to stop protests deemed too noisy or disruptive, and backed a Liberal Democrat amendment to remove the power to impose conditions on noise grounds. The government lost 14 votes in total, adding to five previous defeats. Labour described some of the plans as 'outrageous'.
Downing Street expressed disappointment that the Lords did not support measures to combat what it called the 'guerilla tactics' of some protesters. The prime minister's official spokesman said the government would 'reflect' on the votes before the bill returns to the Commons. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab indicated the government would look at reintroducing noise-related measures.
The bill now faces 'parliamentary ping pong' between the Commons and Lords, with both houses needing to agree on its final form before the end of the current parliamentary session. The government's proposals on public order offences, including making it illegal to lock on to objects, were also blocked by peers.
Labour approached the issue cautiously, proposing alternative measures but ultimately helping to vote down the government's clauses on civil liberties grounds. Green peer Baroness Jones described the plans as 'oppressive', while Labour's Lord Hain called them 'the biggest threat to the right to dissent in my lifetime'.
