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Chris Packham, Lush Cosmetics, and Law Firms Lead Calls To Withdraw Anti-Protest Legislation

People stood with anti-protest legislation banners outside parliament.

  • This morning, an open letter signed by Chris Packham, Lush Cosmetics, several law firms, and pro-democracy groups was handed into the Home Office [1].

  • The open letter, addressed to the Home Secretary, called on her to withdraw a proposed Statutory Instrument that would add the Life Sciences sector to Key National Infrastructure under the Public Order Act 2023 [2].

  • The Home Office proposal would place animal testing facilities in the same legal category as airports, motorways, and power stations. The open letter warns that this would "represent a further and deeply troubling escalation" of public order powers at a time when "democratic norms and civil liberties in the UK are under increasing scrutiny."

  • Since the Statutory Instrument was first proposed in a Parliamentary Committee more than 15,000 people have written to their MP, and a further 5,000 to Shabana Mahmood MP directly, calling on them to oppose the legislation.


Dozens of concerned citizens have, today, attended demonstrations at the Home Office and Houses of Parliament to call on the Government to withdraw proposed legislation to add the Life Sciences sector to Key National Infrastructure under the Public Order Act 2023. Many entered Parliament in order to “greencard” their MP and lobby directly against the expansion of - widely condemned - anti-protest legislation.


Rob Pownall, Founder of Protect the Wild and one of today’s organisers, said:
“This is a dangerous and deeply authoritarian move. By quietly reclassifying animal testing facilities as ‘Key National Infrastructure’, the government is attempting to criminalise protest rather than confront the ethical and scientific failures of animal testing itself. If ministers truly believed in democracy, they would be strengthening scrutiny and debate, not shutting it down to protect an industry that relies on secrecy and suffering.”

Several MPs have already expressed serious concern over the proposed legislation and the underhanded attempt to pass it without the full scrutiny of the Commons. Kerry McCarthy, MP for Bristol East, in particular, has spoken out against the current proposals [3]. 


The Home Secretary is due to lay the motion before the Commons at any point from today onwards, despite fierce opposition - including within her own party [4]. Despite the fact that the Labour Party and Shabana Mahmood MP consistently opposed the Public Order Act 2023 when in opposition, they have been more than willing to use and expand its powers since taking Government.


A Lush Cosmetics spokesperson said:
“As a campaigning company committed to ending animal testing and prioritising better science, we are deeply concerned by moves to curtail protest by designating animal testing and breeding facilities as ‘key national infrastructure’. Rather than limiting protest, the government should legislate to end animal testing as a matter of urgency, making good on their manifesto commitment to do so.”

This afternoon, dozens of people also attended Parliament to lobby their MP in person.


Nathan McGovern, an Animal Rising spokesperson, said:
“Labour’s attempt to smuggle in anti-democratic legislation through backdoor methods is an utter farce. Sarah Jones and Shabana Mahmood, MPs, have completely lost the trust of the British public with this move.
The right to freedom of expression and political opinion is a crucial part of a functioning state; if Life Sciences are ruled as Key National Infrastructure, what is coming next? This Government should encourage constructive and peaceful dissent, not shut it down.”

ENDS


Word count: 565


About Animal Rising

The group has used a variety of civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action tactics, notably blockading McDonald's distribution centres in May 2021, blockading dairy industry sites in September 2022, rescuing 23 beagle puppies from the animal testing industry in 2022, delaying the Grand National race in 2023, rescuing lambs belonging to King Charles II in May 2023, and carrying out the UK’s largest undercover farm investigation in 2024.

All images and videos in this file, on our social media, and website can be used with credit to Animal Rising under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of reporting.

For more information or further comments, please contact:

Emma (Press Back Office)  +44 1225 29 6691


Notes To The Editor


 
 
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