Johnson puts tackling ‘guerrilla protests’ at heart of legislative agenda

NEW measures to tackle disruptive “guerrilla protests” will be unveiled by the government today, as Boris Johnson attempts to put last week’s disastrous local election results behind him.

A Public Order Bill will be one of 38 in the Queen’s Speech, and will outlaw tactics such as protesters “locking on” to public transport infrastructure or gluing themselves to roads.

The legislation would not apply in Scotland, as justice is devolved.

The SNP questioned the UK Government’s priorities, saying they should be concentrating on the cost of living crisis.

Ian Blackford, the party’s leader in the Commons said:”at the very moment that millions of people need and expect Westminster to be stepping up and fixing

its cost-of-living crisis, the two main party leaders are instead fighting it out over who should and shouldn’t be resigning

“The reality is that this Tory government is too engulfed in scandal to get on with the day job and (Boris) Johnson and (Rishi) Sunak are missing in action as people worry about how they are going to make ends meet and cover their rocketing household bills.

“With rising food prices, record levels of inflation, and an extreme Brexit all piling on the hardship, the Tory government must not use this year’s Queen’s Speech to conveniently glance over the crisis of its own making.

“It must instead use it to deliver desperately needed support to put money into people’s pockets and to help lift the burden building on households.”

Boris Johnson insisted the legislative agenda being set out today would help get the country “back on track”.

He said: “In spite of everything we have been through, we are going to ensure that over the two years we have left in this parliament, we spend every second uniting and levelling up this country, exactly as we said we would,” he said.

“We will get the country through the aftershocks of Covid, just as we got through Covid, with every ounce of ingenuity and compassion and hard work.”

The programme also includes seven bills removing EU regulation covering areas from data reform to gene-editing to financial services.

A coming Procurement Bill is reportedly aimed at giving small and medium-sized businesses a better opportunity to compete for Government contracts, and there are also plans to boost animal welfare and crack down on puppy smuggling.

However, the Times has reported that plans to ban imports of foie gras and fur clothing to the UK have been scrapped from the speech.

It is thought the speech will also include details of a British Bill of Rights to replace the Human

Rights Act.

The Government has also carried over legislation it did not finish in the previous session of Parliament, including their Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill aimed at preventing curbs on free speech in universities.