Suella Braverman to give police more powers to stop protesters ‘holding Britain to ransom’

Home secretary wants activist ‘vandals’ to face new laws

Suella Braverman has unveiled plans for a major crackdown on protests deemed disruptive, as she accused activists of “holding the British public to ransom”.

The home secretary said she will give police new powers to take a more “proactive” approach to some protests, with some measures specifically aimed at tactics favoured by environmental groups.

Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion activists have staged various protests and demonstrations in recent months, causing disruption to commuters and traffic in central London.