Context
Following concerns raised about the Public Order Act 2022, which some believe limited the right to protest peacefully. One constituent, Adam Beard, was sentenced to a year in prison for planning a peaceful protest.
Question
Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of a functioning and healthy democracy, but people in Stroud and across the country felt that the legislation passed by the Conservatives in 2022 limited the right to peacefully protest. My constituent Adam Beard was convicted and sentenced to a year in prison for planning a peaceful protest. Given all the prison overcrowding, will the Minister consider whether peaceful protesters could at least avoid custodial sentences?
Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)
The right to peacefully protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, as my hon. Friend rightly says, and this Government will protect and preserve that right. The post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023 began this month, and we will carefully consider the results of that review, along with the recommendations of the independent sentencing review.
Not addressed: Did not directly address whether peaceful protesters could avoid custodial sentences given prison overcrowding.
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