Our MP's reply to letter on right to protest
Posted: 19th November 2025
Subject: Home Secretary’s Announcement of Further Restrictions on the Right to Protest
Dear John,
Re: Home Secretary’s Announcement of Further Restrictions on the Right to Protest
I write to you as a constituent. I am deeply alarmed by the recent announcement from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood that new powers will be granted to police to restrict or even ban repeat protests, by allowing authorities to assess the “cumulative impact” of protest activity.
While the Home Secretary claims this is necessary to protect communities from disruption, such powers would make it far easier for authorities to suppress legitimate dissent. They follow a series of laws such as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023, that have already expanded police control over protest. Together, these developments represent a serious erosion of the democratic freedoms that allow ordinary people to make their voices heard.
As your constituent, I am asking you to:
- Publicly oppose the Home Secretary’s proposed restrictions and urge the government to withdraw them.
- Support any parliamentary efforts to strengthen, not weaken, the right to peaceful protest and freedom of conscience.
- Call for a full review of protest powers introduced since 2022, to ensure they are necessary and proportionate.
Please let me know if you are willing to take these steps to defend our right to protest peacefully in a democratic society. As you may have noticed, there have been peaceful vigils held in Salisbury for two years, without incident,
Thank you for contacting me about the suggested changes to protest laws.
Freedom of assembly and freedom of expression are vital rights that I wholeheartedly support.
The right of an individual to express their opinion and protest is, in my view, a cornerstone of our democratic society.
However, repeat protest activity by a minority of individuals utilising guerrilla tactics has caused misery to the public, disrupted businesses, interfered with emergency services, cost millions in taxpayers’ money, and risked lives.
I support the decision to authorise police forces to consider the ‘cumulative impact’ of protests, assessing the scale and type of previous activity when deciding to impose limits on protesters.
I strongly believe in free speech, but I am clear that it must be exercised within the bounds of the law. If protests are used repeatedly to intimidate, to incite hatred or to prevent ordinary people going about their daily lives, I believe that is not protest and it is right to give the police powers to stop such protests.
You can be assured that my colleagues and I will closely scrutinise the Government’s plans to implement these new powers for police forces and we are expecting further details to be set out in due course.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
John
The Rt Hon John Glen MP
Member of Parliament for Salisbury & South Wiltshire
Tel: 01722 323050
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