Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people whose daily activity was disrupted by (a) Extinction Rebellion and (b) Just Stop Oil protests in the last calendar year.

Groups like Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil cause real misery to those caught up in their protests. Just Stop Oil were responsible for over 75 days of turmoil in 2022. In October alone, nearly 12,000 Metropolitan Police officer shifts were required to respond, diverting police from our communities. Overall, the police response to Just Stop Oil has cost the taxpayer over £14.5 million.

The dangerous tactics used by Just Stop Oil on the M25 resulted in significant backlogs, meaning tens of thousands of drivers were gridlocked for hours. In one case, the longest tailback was over ten miles. National Highways have stated that these methods cause significant economic harm, disruption, and inconvenience to the general public.

The Public Order Bill is now passing through Parliament and will improve the police’s ability to respond to highly disruptive tactics.