What happens next?
The Policing Bill’s third reading in the Lords – at which peers can suggest further changes – will take place on 25 January, before the bill passes back to the Commons.
MPs will then consider the Lords’ amendments and either vote to accept them and pass the bill as it now stands, or will make further changes and send the bill back to the Lords.
There is in theory no limit to the number of times this can happen. It is known as ‘ping pong’. In practice, if the two houses cannot agree, the government could either choose to kill the bill, or to pass it unilaterally at a later date using powers in the Parliament Acts that give the lower house ultimate authority.
As for the last-minute amendments voted down by the Lords, these cannot be reinstated, but there is nothing to stop the government from tabling a fresh bill that contains the same things. Interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on Tuesday, justice secretary Dominic Raab could not say whether ministers would opt to do this.
What have campaigners said?
Basically, that the fight isn’t over, particularly regarding the part of the bill that could effectively criminalise Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities’ way of life by creating new offences. That section remains intact, after Labour whipped peers to abstain on it, and will return to the Commons. Nine Labour peers defied the whip.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace had condemned the proposals, saying they “don’t belong in a free and democratic society”. Many of the additions to the bill appeared to target Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, the latter of which successfully blocked roads across the country last year in protest of the government’s lack of action on the climate emergency.
A spokesperson for the Police Bill Alliance, a collective of groups campaigning against the proposals, said today: “We are grateful to every peer who stayed late to push back against this draconian bill, which seeks to destroy the right to protest in the UK.
“With the bill set to return to the Commons, we now urge MPs to uphold the changes peers have made on ‘noise-based’ conditions on protests.
“Unfortunately many of the measures criminalising protest remain in this bill, meaning you could get ten years in prison for causing ‘serious annoyance’. The bill also introduces oppressive new measures which criminalise the nomadic way of life for Gypsy and Traveller communities.”
Elections Bill
The government is also trying to change the UK’s election laws – a move that critics say will curb voters’ rights.
The Elections Bill has passed its third reading in the House of Commons, bringing the UK one step closer to introducing compulsory photo ID checks for voters.
The government claims the new rules would help eliminate voter fraud. But statistics show that there are very few instances of this taking place – and that introducing ID checks could prevent some people – particularly those with disabilities or from marginalised groups – from voting in elections.
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