Defend Democracy

The Government is pushing through new laws designed to make the UK less democratic. They are giving Ministers unprecedented and unchecked powers to stifle opposition, deter participation in elections and establish an unequal playing field for future elections in favour of those already in power.

These new laws would make it harder for people and organisations like Best for Britain, charities and unions to take part in elections and work with political parties. In fact, it would be a major blockage to parties forming a progressive alliance at election time.

In combination with the Policing Bill, which imposes stringent conditions ...

The Government is pushing through new laws designed to make the UK less democratic. They are giving Ministers unprecedented and unchecked powers to stifle opposition, deter participation in elections and establish an unequal playing field for future elections in favour of those already in power.

These new laws would make it harder for people and organisations like Best for Britain, charities and unions to take part in elections and work with political parties. In fact, it would be a major blockage to parties forming a progressive alliance at election time.

In combination with the Policing Bill, which imposes stringent conditions on protest and stifles dissenting voices, the Elections Bill constitutes an insidious power grab which will erode our democratic right to free expression and limit power of individuals across society to hold power to account.

Stand up for all our rights and take part now.

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Policing Bill Lords Committee Stage

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is currently being considered by the House of Lords, who will decide whether to add amendments to it before sending it back to MPs.

Priti Patel is using this Bill to give herself new powers to decide which protests are allowed to go ahead, and to impose excessively harsh sentences on people for 'noisy' protests.

Write to the Lords now to ask them to stand up for democracy. The system will pick 100 Lords at random and send your message to all of them at once.

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Subject:

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is a deeply troubling extension of executive power to stifle dissent and limit the freedoms to protest that are a key part of our democracy.

I am writing as a supporter of Best for Britain's Better Democracy campaign to urge you to add your name to and to vote in support of amendments to Parts 3 and 4 of the Bill. Best for Britain and I agree with the assessments of Liberty and Amnesty UK regarding this Bill.

I am particularly concerned that this Policing Bill alongside other new legislation represents a real threat to the ability of ordinary people to speak out and hold the powerful to account. For example, the Elections Bill (which you may be considering quite soon) would rig the electoral system in favour of the party of government and place new barriers in the way of campaigners taking part in elections.

Part 3 of the Policing Bill is a chilling attack on freedoms we should be able to take for granted in a democracy - the right to express our point of view and stand up for what we believe in. It enables the Home Secretary to choose which demonstrations are legal, and it gives the police powers to ban protests because they are noisy or disruptive. It radically increases sentences for breaking protest conditions and risks criminalising people on the basis of phrases like ‘ought to know’.

We should not let concerns about recent protests organised by irresponsible groups to result in freedom to protest being lost or reduced for everyone else. Protests that already break the law and which take place contrary to the current correct procedure do not require us to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Part 4 is discriminatory. It is a direct attack on the way of life of specific ethnic and minority groups- Gypsy and Traveller communities. It ignores wide-ranging powers already in existence, goes against the wishes of the police bodies, and through a new criminal offence of trespass with the intent to reside, will likely push more people into the criminal justice system.

Please support amendments that reduce the harm this Bill could cause to our democracy and to vulnerable communities.

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