Limiting the right to public protest is somewhat ironic in the context of the UK Government's apparently Damascene conversion to the importance of democratic government when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I think, given the way in which the UK Government since 2019 has behaved, endeavouring to prorogue Parliament when they didn't want to be scrutinised by them, and some of the really serious incidents and issues that are now swirling around our country in the light of the missing millions and, indeed, billions in relation to both the Russian mafia and contracts that were awarded to friends and relations of the UK Government without open contest during the COVID emergencies.

In 2020 the Electoral Commission recorded that six members of the Cabinet and eight junior Ministers had taken money from businesses and/or individuals linked to Russia. According to the radio this morning, we are now talking about up to £25 billion having been brought into this country by the Russian mafia, sloshing around the UK and buying up property without declaring who actually owns it, and all in an effort to launder the ill-gotten gains stolen from the people of Russia. So, in that context, I think it is really deplorable that we are facing a Bill that is trying to limit public protest, because there is clearly a need to demand that the UK Government maintains the democratic process, respects the Electoral Commission—when they are trying to actually undermine its independence—and enables us to find out what impact all this funny money is having on our democracy and the amount of money that has been given to the Conservative Party across the UK. These are really, really serious issues and ones that we simply cannot prevent people protesting about and asking all the right questions. We need to have answers to these questions, and I think, in that context, we most definitely need to oppose these clauses, which the House of Lords have done their best efforts to restore, because that is what a democratic Government looks like.