FROM PROTECT THE WILD — A CRITICAL VOTE ABOUT RIGHT-TO-PROTEST IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more A critical vote on protest rights happens this Wednesday ROB POWNALL FEB 2 READ IN APP This Wednesday, the House of Lords will debate whether animal testing sites should be classified as “key national infrastructure” under the Public Order Act. It is the final parliamentary hurdle. It matters more than ever. Over the past few months, Protect the Wild supporters have pushed back hard against these dangerous regulations. Together, you have sent more than 40,000 emails to MPs, 22,000 emails to members of the House of Lords, and taken to the streets for two days of action in Westminster. Behind the scenes, we have also been working closely with peers to make sure the serious risks of these changes are fully understood. Despite that pressure, the government forced the regulations through the House of Commons in January. That was a setback. It was never the end of the road. Now, everything turns to the Lords. What’s being debated, and why it matters On Wednesday 4 February, peers will consider whether to approve the Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2025. At the same time, Baroness Natalie Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party) has tabled a fatal motion. This is a motion that would reject the regulations outright. Her motion states that the House of Lords should decline to approve the regulations because they: represent legislative overreach stretch the definition of “key national infrastructure” beyond any reasonable meaning lack adequate evidence that existing police powers are insufficient further restrict the democratic right to peaceful protest and are being pushed through without sufficient steps to end animal testing itself If peers back this motion, the regulations fall. This is not symbolic. It is a real, substantive challenge. What the government wants to do The regulations would amend the Public Order Act 2023 to classify parts of the life sciences sector as key national infrastructure. This includes: pharmaceutical research and development facilities manufacturing sites for medicines and vaccines and any site licensed for animal experimentation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 That change would make it a criminal offence to intentionally or recklessly interfere with the operation of these sites. Penalties include up to 12 months in prison, a fine, or both. Ministers argue this is necessary to protect public health, pandemic preparedness, and the UK’s life sciences industry. They claim protest activity threatens vaccine production, supply chains, and national resilience. Crucially, they have failed to demonstrate why existing laws, covering harassment, obstruction, criminal damage, and public order, are not already sufficient. Why we’re opposing this Animal testing facilities are not roads, power stations, or energy networks. Designating them as key national infrastructure is a profound and dangerous expansion of state power. It risks criminalising peaceful protest and shielding controversial private industries from public scrutiny. Even parliamentary committees have acknowledged how far-reaching these changes are. Human rights organisations warn that they continue a clear pattern. This is the steady narrowing of space for lawful protest in the UK. All of this is happening while the government simultaneously claims it wants greater transparency and a future phase-out of animal testing. Those positions cannot coexist. What happens next The House of Lords has a constitutional role to scrutinise, challenge, and, where necessary, stop flawed legislation. That is exactly what is happening this Wednesday. Thanks to your pressure, peers are informed. Briefings have been circulated. Concerns are on the record. Baroness Bennett’s fatal motion will be debated alongside the government’s proposal. Whatever happens next, this moment matters. It matters because protest rights matter. It matters because animal testing must not be placed beyond challenge. It matters because democracy does not end when a Commons vote is lost. Thank you for standing with us, in Parliament, on the streets, and behind the scenes. We will be watching closely on Wednesday, and we will update you as soon as the debate concludes. We’re blown away by your support. Last month, Protect the Wild gained 530 new monthly supporters. That is the strongest month we have ever had, and it happened because people like you chose to stand with us. Because of that support, Protect the Wild is now backed by more than 7,000 people giving a regular monthly donation. That steady support is what allows us to run undercover investigations, produce hard-hitting media, and keep applying pressure where others hesitate or stay silent. Now, as we move into February, we want to see if we can beat January’s total. If you would like to be part of that and help make February our strongest month yet, you can join us as a monthly supporter by clicking here. Support Protect the Wild SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing