Crucial new changes to public order law will put a stop to the relentless reoffending and significant disruption caused by a selfish minority of protesters, which impinge on the rights of the British public to go about their daily lives in peace.

Announced in the Queen’s Speech, the Home Secretary will today introduce a new public order bill with a range of proposals to better protect the integrity of transport networks and fuel supply in England and Wales, making it a criminal offence to interfere with key national infrastructure.

Police will also be given the power to proactively stop and search people and seize items intended to cause serious disruption by ‘locking on’ – for example gluing themselves to busy roads or complex bamboo structures. This tactic is dangerous and removing people safely is a significant drain on police resource.

Despite a rise in these dangerous and highly disruptive protests in recent years, which have stopped the hardworking majority from going about their days, getting to work and even hospital, the measures introduced today were previously blocked in the House of Lords.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said:

What we have seen in recent years is a rise in criminal, disruptive and self-defeating guerrilla tactics, carried out by a selfish few in the name of protest.

Not only do these antisocial protests cause untold delays and misery for the law-abiding public wanting to get on with their lives, it tears police away from communities where they are needed most to prevent serious violence and neighbourhood crime.

This bill backs the police to take proactive action and prevent such disruption happening in the first place. These measures stand up for the responsible majority and it is time that Parliament got behind them.

Most recently, fuel supply has been disrupted by protesters tunnelling under oil terminals and cutting the brakes on tankers, and police officers have spent hours trying to unglue people’s body parts from some of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorways. This includes groups like Just Stop Oil, which alone has cost the police over £5.9 million in a matter of months.

The public order bill will:

• make it a criminal offence to:
  • interfere with key national infrastructure – including rail, road and air networks, printing presses, oil and gas refineries and power stations
  • ‘lock on’ (for example, gluing oneself to roads or structures), or coming equipped with the intent to lock on and cause serious disruption
  • obstruct the construction of our major transport networks, such as HS2
• give the police the power to stop and search:
  • individuals where there is reasonable suspicion they may be carrying items they intend to use to cause serious disruption by locking on and other public order offences
  • anyone within a tightly-defined area for items that could be used to commit locking on and other public order offences

• give the courts the power to impose serious disruption prevention orders on those with protest-related convictions or a history of causing serious disruptions at protests, to prevent them from continuing to commit such acts

• allow the leaders of the Metropolitan and City of London police forces to delegate the powers to set conditions on protests to senior officers in their forces, ensuring police resources for responding to disruptive protests in London can be managed more efficiently

The measures complement the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, recently passed into law, which will that mean from Thursday 12 May there is an increased penalty for wilfully obstructing a highway of a possible prison sentence of up 6 months and/or an unlimited fine.

The act will also make public nuisance a statutory offence – ensuring that the penalties for both these crimes reflect the severity of such guerrilla tactics.

Deemed by police as one of the most challenging aspects of modern-day policing, the government’s public order proposals have been drawn up based on policing feedback and will enable them to take more proactive action to prevent serious and dangerous disruption – and deter those determined to break the law.

Part of the reason today’s measures were not supported in the Lords was because the House of Commons did not have the chance to scrutinise them, which this new bill allows for.

The UK government has today introduced a bill which will help to bring into force its first independently negotiated Free Trade Agreements in more than 50 years.

The UK signed the Australia Agreement in December and the New Zealand Agreement in February. Together, they will deliver benefits to people, businesses and communities throughout the country and support the levelling-up agenda.

The UK-Australia Agreement is expected to increase trade by 53 percent, boost the economy by £2.3 billion and increase wages each year in the long-run. The UK-New Zealand Agreement is expected to increase trade by almost 60 percent and boost the economy by £800 million.

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:

I am excited to see the UK implement its first ‘from scratch’ Free Trade Agreements in over 50 years and deliver on a key Brexit benefit – having our own independent trade policy.

This Bill will enable us to export our world-class goods and services and bring high-quality imports at reduced rates for British customers.

Introducing this Bill is an important step in ratifying these trade agreements so that UK businesses can begin benefiting and expanding their trade with Australia and New Zealand as soon as possible. To bring these agreements into force, the following will have to happen:

• Parliament must formally scrutinise the agreements under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.

• The Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill has to be agreed by Parliament.

• Necessary secondary legislation has to be passed by Parliament to make the changes required to our procurement regime to meet the terms of the Agreements.

• Only once the steps above have been completed can these agreements be ratified and brought into force.

In line with our commitment to transparency and scrutiny, the government has:

• Published the full text for both agreements as soon as they were signed, along with full independently scrutinised impact assessments.

• Ensured the Trade and Agriculture Commission – a panel of independent experts – has over three months to report on the agreements. The Trade & Agriculture Commission’s report on the UK-Australia Agreement was published on 13 April. The Commission is due to report on the UK-New Zealand Agreement in June.

International treaties are negotiated and then entered into force by the government. Treaties do not always require legislation to come into force, but on some occasions changes to domestic law might be needed to implement a trade deal. For these agreements, this Bill will change our rules on procurement which in turn will widen access for UK suppliers to procurement opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. The changes are needed to give Australian and Kiwi suppliers rights to access the benefits of the Agreements.

The new commitments in free trade agreements like these will not affect the power the UK has to reform its domestic procurement rules.

Both the UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand free trade agreements include commitments to addressing climate change like decarbonisation and increasing innovation in green sectors.

For the first time, UK service suppliers including architects, scientists, researchers, lawyers and accountants will have access to visas to work in Australia without being subject to Australia’s changing skilled occupation list. Britons aged 18 to 35 will also be able to travel and work in Australia with a Working Holiday Maker Visa for up to three years.

The agreements include protections for the agriculture industry and food and drink quality standards, with all imports needing to comply with the UK’s food regulations.

Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Gwynedd, Edmund Seymour Bailey Esq CStJ FRAgS appointed Cadet Flight Sergeant Duncan at an awards ceremony at Caernarfon Army Reserve Centre, Caernarfon, on April 28.

The role, which lasts for one year, includes attendance with the Lord-Lieutenant at a number of official engagements such as Remembrance events, Royal visits and parades.

More than 50 people attended the event, to mark the new appointment which will see Ysanne represent her peers and respective organisations at local and national level occasions.

Cadet Flight Sergeant Duncan will follow in the footsteps of Cadet Sergeant Elise Faragher from Tywyn, of Clwyd and Gwynedd Army Cadet Force and Cadet Flight Sergeant Mia Jones from Anglesey, of No 2 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets who were both awarded the Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificate and Badge for being the 2021 representatives.

At the ceremony which recognised high achievers from the reserves and cadet communities, two adults were recognised for their outstanding service and devotion to duty and awarded the Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificate of Merit.

They were Staff Sergeant Instructor Louise Hughes of Clwyd and Gwynedd Army Cadet Force and Mrs Ann Kennedy of Holyhead Sea Cadet Corps.

There are nearly 5,000 cadets in Wales who gain skills and qualifications through working with local communities, charities and taking part in a variety of practical activities. The cadet syllabus is delivered by 1,500 volunteering adult Instructors and civilian assistants, who give up their spare time on weeknights and weekends.

The awards ceremony was organised by RFCA for Wales – an organisation that has supported the Armed Forces for over 100 years.

The Prime Minister is signing historic declarations with Sweden and Finland today to reinforce their security and fortify northern Europe’s defences, in the face of renewed threats.

As fellow liberal democracies, and members of the Joint Expeditionary Force, both nations are already vital security partners in Northern Europe, with world-leading defence capabilities and cutting-edge technology development.

Visiting Harpsund, the Swedish Prime Minister’s country residence, and Helsinki, the Prime Minister will set out the UK’s intention to support the two nations’ armed forces should either face crisis or come under attack.

This morning the Prime Minister signed mutual security assurances with Prime Minister Andersson in Sweden, and this afternoon he will travel to Finland to sign a similar security declaration with President Niinistö.

The declarations will see a step-change in defence and security cooperation between the UK and each country, intensifying intelligence sharing, accelerating joint military training, exercising and deployments, and bolstering security across all three countries and northern Europe.

They will also see the UK bolster its collaboration on traditional threats facing all three nations, while working also with Sweden and Finland to tackle new geopolitical challenges, such as hybrid and cyber threats.

The Prime Minister will also make clear the UK’s unwavering support for NATO’s open door policy during the visit.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

We are steadfast and unequivocal in our support to both Sweden and Finland and the signing of these security declarations is a symbol of the everlasting assurance between our nations.

These are not a short term stop gap, but a long term commitment to bolster military ties and global stability, and fortify Europe’s defences for generations to come.

The declarations signed today will allow the UK to cooperate with key Nordic partners and their armed forces, in all domains, including cyberspace. They will also allow for closer collaboration on new technology and intelligence gathering.

As part of increased defence cooperation with Sweden and Finland, the Prime Minister will offer to increase deployments to the region, including with Royal Air Force, British Army and Royal Navy assets and personnel.

Both Sweden and Finland have played a key role in supporting Ukraine to defend itself in recent weeks and months, while British, Swedish and Finnish forces have exercised together across the High North and the Baltics.

Both nations are part of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force taskforce, which brings together 10 countries in support of stability and security in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea Region and the High North. The assurances made today build on the already close ties of that defence grouping.

Today’s visit comes after the Prime Minister welcomed the Swedish and Finnish leaders to Downing Street in March to discuss closer security and defence ties.