Changes to Right To Protest in the Public Order Act 2023

That this House is concerned by proposals to use the powers in the Public Order Act 2023 to give protected national research infrastructure status to universities, laboratories, medical facilities and other facilities licensed for animal experimentation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; is further concerned that this could have potentially wide-ranging implications for civil liberties, including reducing democratic scrutiny by restricting the right to peacefully protest against these facilities and by extending policing powers in a manner disproportionate to genuine public order needs; notes that despite the existence of modern reliable alternatives to animal testing around 2.64 million scientific procedures involving animals were carried out in Great Britain in 2024 according to Home Office statistics; further notes the role played by peaceful protest in monitoring and raising public awareness of potentially non-compliant handling, testing and disposal of animals within such facilities; and calls on the Government to withdraw the statutory instrument designating life sciences facilities as Key National Infrastructure, to publish a full rights-based impact assessment of its proposal, and to prioritise investment in animal-free research, humane science and transparent public engagement rather than expanding counter-protest powers.