M25 protests: Priti Patel calls activists 'selfish'

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said climate change protesters who caused disruption on the M25 this week were "selfish".

She said Insulate Britain activists used "guerrilla tactics" and it distracted "from their cause".

Traffic was stopped on several sections of the motorway on Monday and Wednesday with more than 70 arrested each day.

On Friday, the M25 was targeted again, along with the M3 in Surrey, the M11 in Essex and the M1 in Hertfordshire.

The campaign group is calling for government action on home insulation and said its "actions will continue until the government makes a meaningful commitment to insulate all of Britain's 29 million leaky homes by 2030".

The government said it was offering support for energy efficiency measures in people's homes.

Speaking on Thursday, Ms Patel said: "Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and there will always be space for legitimate groups to make their voices heard.

"But this government will not stand by and allow a small minority of selfish protesters to cause significant disruption to the lives and livelihoods of the hard-working majority.

"The guerrilla tactics used by Insulate Britain detract from their cause and I know the public will agree that the scenes on the M25 this week were completely unacceptable."

On Friday, junction three at Swanley in Kent, junction nine at Leatherhead in Surrey, and junction 28 near Brentwood in Essex, were targeted, plus junction one of the M3.

Surrey Police said it arrested 14 people on the M25 and the carriageway was now clear.

The force said it was made aware of protesters at junction one of the M3 just after 09:00 BST. Ten people were arrested there and were no longer on the carriageway.

Kent Police said the obstruction at the Swanley M25/B2173 roundabout had been reported to them at about 08:20.

One lane was closed and 10 people were arrested on suspicion of obstructing a highway. The road cleared later with traffic moving again.

Essex Police said 24 people had been arrested in two areas of the county.

The force said it had been told a group was planning to obstruct the slip road at junction 28 of the M25 at Brook Street near Brentwood, so at 08:30 it was "able to intervene and resolve the situation quickly".

The road was blocked for several minutes and 15 people were arrested.

It also received several calls at about 08:45 reporting that a number of people were blocking the on-slip road at junction eight of the M11 where it meets the A120 near London Stansted Airport and Bishop's Stortford.

There was congestion for about 45 minutes and a further nine people were arrested.

Supt Sam Smith said: "The roads have now reopened and traffic is moving freely.

"I want to thank the drivers affected for their patience and understanding."

Hertfordshire Police said it received a report at about 10:35 that protestors were lying in the road at junction five of the M1 for Watford.

The road was cleared by 11:05 and there was a "short disruption" for traffic.

Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer said: "Some 11 people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

"We are also investigating suspected criminal damage to the road where attempts have been made to write on it with paint."

She added that while the force was unable to predict where or when protests would take place, the public should "please be reassured that we will attend and remove individuals as quickly as possible".

On Monday, five junctions were blocked in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey and at least 77 people were arrested.

Similar disruption took place on Wednesday, when protests took place in Herts, Kent and Surrey.

Three people suspected of orchestrating the protest were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance.

Police forces from several counties arrested protesters on suspicion of obstructing the highway and related offences.

Ch Supt Jerry Westerman, from Surrey Police, said on Thursday: "I appreciate that these protests have caused considerable inconvenience and frustration and I can assure you that we are continuing to gather evidence and ensure that those who break the law are brought to justice."

Speaking on Friday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps called the protest "dangerous and counterproductive".

"We all agree that climate change must be tackled, but this sort of behaviour achieves nothing, puts drivers at risk and increases pollution," he said.

In response to this week's protests, a government spokeswoman said it was "investing £1.3bn this year alone to support people to install energy efficiency measures, and our upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy will set out how we decarbonise the nation's homes in a way that is fair, practical and affordable".

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