Boris Johnson to make protests that cause 'annoyance' illegal, with prison sentences of up to 10 years

Boris Johnson is set to pass a new law banning protests that are noisy or cause "annoyance."

The law would limit the right to protest outside Parliament and carry a max sentence of 10 years.

London's police force is under scrutiny for its heavy-handed response to a vigil for Sarah Everard.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to bring forward a controversial new law this week that could outlaw any protest that is noisy or causes "serious annoyance," with protesters facing up to 10 years in prison.

Members of the UK Parliament will debate the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill at its second reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday. It would give police officers significantly greater powers to crack down on protests.

The measures would make it illegal for protests to cause "serious unease" and would introduce criminal penalties for people who cause "serious annoyance."

The law would also create new restrictions limiting the right to protest outside the UK Parliament, while introducing penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment for defacing public monuments.

A Downing Street spokesman on Monday said the bill would not target people's right to protest peacefully and would instead focus on targeting people who used "extremely disruptive" tactics during demonstrations.

"We've said previously that peaceful protest is a fundamental right in a free society," the person said.

"The measures in the bill are not in any way impinging on the right to protest — they're simply focused on the use of some extremely disruptive tactics we've seen used in recent years."

The legislation comes amid public outcry over the London Metropolitan Police's heavy-handed response this past weekend to a vigil in London for Sarah Everard, who was abducted and killed last week while walking home from a friend's house.

Wayne Couzens, a Metropolitan Police officer, has been charged with Everard's kidnap and murder.

Several hundred people had gathered peacefully at Clapham Common on Saturday to mourn the 33-year-old's death, but police officers ultimately responded by handcuffing and arresting several women at the gathering.

The opposition Labour Party had been planning to abstain on the bill but now plans to vote against it, the party said Sunday.

"The tragic death of Sarah Everard has instigated a national demand for action to tackle violence against women," David Lammy, the shadow justice secretary, said in a statement. "This is no time to be rushing through poorly thought-out measures to impose disproportionate controls on free expression and the right to protest."

Johnson said he was "deeply concerned" by footage of women being detained at Saturday's vigil, but Downing Street sources told Politico the prime minister retained "full confidence" in Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, who has refused calls for her to resign.

The government also has no plans to row back from the new restrictions on protests, Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins told the BBC on Sunday.