Fact Check: Government drops fight for tougher anti-protest laws after losing court battle.

Fact Check: Government Drops Fight for Tougher Anti-Protest Laws After Losing Court Battle

What We Know

The UK government has indeed ceased its legal efforts to uphold tougher anti-protest laws following a significant court ruling. In 2023, then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman introduced regulations that allowed police to impose restrictions on protests deemed to cause “more than minor” disruption, a shift from the previous legal standard of “serious disruption” established since 1986 (LBC). This change was met with legal challenges from the human rights organization Liberty, which argued that the regulations were unlawful and undermined the right to protest (Liberty).

On May 2, 2025, the UK Court of Appeal upheld a ruling that the 2023 regulations were unlawful, confirming that the term “serious disruption” could not be interpreted to include disruptions that are merely “more than minor” (Jurist). Following this ruling, the government decided to drop its appeal against Liberty, effectively reverting the law to its previous wording, which requires protests to cause "serious disruption" for police enforcement to be warranted (LBC).

Analysis

The evidence supporting the claim that the government has dropped its fight for tougher anti-protest laws is robust. The court ruling that deemed the regulations unlawful was a critical factor in the government's decision to cease its appeal. The Court of Appeal's judgment highlighted that the changes made by Braverman were not only legally questionable but also bypassed parliamentary scrutiny, which is a significant breach of democratic principles (Liberty, Jurist).

The reliability of the sources used in this analysis is high. LBC, a reputable news outlet, provided detailed coverage of the government's legal battles and the implications of the court's decisions. Liberty, as a human rights organization, has a vested interest in ensuring that protest rights are protected, and its statements reflect a commitment to civil liberties (LBC, Liberty). The Court of Appeal's ruling, as reported by multiple legal and news sources, adds further credibility to the claim (Jurist, Scottish Legal).

Conclusion

The claim that the government has dropped its fight for tougher anti-protest laws after losing a court battle is True. The evidence clearly shows that the government has ceased its legal efforts following a court ruling that invalidated the regulations introduced by the former Home Secretary. This decision restores the previous legal standard regarding police intervention in protests, emphasizing the importance of maintaining democratic rights to protest.

Fact Check: Government drops fight for tougher anti-protest laws after losing court battle.