The government suffered a mini-rebellion earlier today, after 26 backbench Labour MPs – including one former minister – voted against a move to ban protest outside animal testing and breeding facilities.
The amendment to the Public Order Act 2023 – which was brought before the house by the policing minister, Sarah Jones in November – passed by 301 votes in favour to 110 against. It will mean animal testing sites are now classed as ‘key infrastructure’ which will hand the police power against those protesters who “deliberately or recklessly” disrupt them with penalties of up to 12 months in prison.
This move has certainly ruffled backbench feathers. In the vote, which took place shortly after PMQs on 14 January, 26 Labour MPs voted against; the former minister for Climate Change, Kerry McCarthy was among their number. One rebellious Labour MP told the Pygge the move was an “overreach” by the government. “[The government] keeps expending energy on fights we don’t need to have,” they said. Another added that this move by ministers was a “double-whammy” of bad decisions, being essentially a move to protect animal testing by classifying sites as ‘key infrastructure’ and cracking down on protest. “That’s not what the membership wants,” the MP told the Pygge.
[Further reading: Why Keir Starmer U-turned on digital ID]
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