London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 09, 2026

‘Crossed the line’: Climate activists have gone too far by blocking key London roads, British policing minister says

‘Crossed the line’: Climate activists have gone too far by blocking key London roads, British policing minister says

Environmental protesters who caused serious disruptions to major routes into London have “crossed the line” of exercising their right to protest by wreaking havoc on the capital’s key roads, Britain’s policing minister has said.

Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Kit Malthouse condemned the actions of protesters from environmental group Insulate Britain, stating that there is a difference between “the right to protest and the right to cause damage.”

He went on, stating that the protesters have “crossed the line” regarding their responsibility towards the rest of the public.

"We believe that these protesters and some of the others that we’ve seen in the last couple of years have crossed the line between exercising their right but also their responsibility towards the rest of us, and something needs to be done."


To tackle the havoc, the minister revealed that “today we’re going to be announcing a raft of new measures... that we think will deal with this problem, specifically recognising the disruption of infrastructure and disruption of the strategic road network.”

Malthouse’s remarks emerge as around 50 eco-activists from Insulate Britain took their demonstrations to some of the capital’s key arteries on Monday, with protesters reported at locations such as the Blackwall Tunnel and Wandsworth Bridge.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has also spoken out against the actions of the organisation, vowing on Sunday that the government “will not tolerate guerrilla tactics that obstruct people going about their day-to-day business.”

On Saturday, National Highways was granted a new injunction against protesters by the court, meaning that activists could face imprisonment or an unlimited fine if they hold a demo on the 4,300 mile Strategic Road Network linked to the M25 in the South East.

Protests by the group, who are pushing for the UK government to insulate homes nationwide, deemed an integral part of reducing carbon emissions, have seen several days of disruption on the busy M25 London orbital.

Insulate Britain members have also taken their demo to the Port of Dover, one of the UK’s most important gateways to Europe, where they blocked the entrance to the harbour at the end of September.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
UK Household Credit Stress Rises as Credit Card Lending Growth Hits 12.5%
London Stock Exchange Revises AIM Rules to Make Growth Capital More Accessible
NHS England to Expand Mental Health Services With 155 New and Upgraded Facilities
UK Overhauls £90 Billion Public Procurement System to Reward Domestic Jobs and Apprenticeships
Andy Burnham Holds Strong Approval as Labour Maintains Narrow Lead Over Reform UK, Opinium Finds
Royal Navy Monitored Russian Warships and Shadow Fleet Tankers for 21 Days in July
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Welsh First Minister Raises Independence With UK Prime Minister in First High-Level Call
UK Maintains Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Report Highlights Online Radicalization
YouGov Poll Shows Labour Favourability Improves as Reform UK and Greens Lose Ground
Brexit Campaigner Arron Banks Admits Hiring Private Investigator to Examine Journalist
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
July 2026 Was England and Wales’ Driest Month on Record, Met Office Says
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Connections
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
US Health Secretary: “I’m Not Afraid of Germs — I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats”
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
Government Orders Review of Prison Release Rules After Concerns Over Grooming Gang Offenders
Rail Disruption Continues Across North-West England Amid Infrastructure Problems and Engineering Closures
×