Labour faces an escalating internal row over the treatment of climate crisis protesters after a shadow cabinet minister backed calls for nationwide injunctions to stop them blocking critical roads and fuel supplies.
Steve Reed, the shadow justice secretary, called for immediate and wide-ranging bans on protesters’ tactics to be put in place last week. Reed said ministers should “get on with their jobs” and block further action from the Just Stop Oil group after about 40 arrests were made at Inter Terminals in Grays, Essex, last Monday. Others were arrested at Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire.
Further disruption was caused throughout the week following a series of protests by Extinction Rebellion, with several London bridges closed on Friday as a result of the group’s action.
“Motorists were already being hammered by prices at the pump, and now millions can’t even access fuel,” Reed said. “The Conservatives need to stop standing idly by and put an end to this disruption that is causing misery for motorists.”
However, Labour’s frontbench position has angered some MPs and prompted a growing backlash within the party, with senior figures on the left publicly stating their support for public protest.
The issue could now flare up at the party’s conference later this year. Asked about the comments, Jamie Driscoll, the metro mayor of the North of Tyne, said that history always judged protesters differently to the “establishment of that era”.
“Were the suffragettes dangerous radicals who refused to understand their place?” he said. “Were the Tolpuddle Martyrs treasonous conspirators for wanting fair pay? Were the Stonewall rioters immoral to want gay liberation? Was Nelson Mandela just a subversive terrorist? What’s the Labour party for if it’s not to fight for a better world? Protest is an essential part of healthy democracy. If an individual oversteps the mark, there are already laws in place. The police don’t need new powers.
“If you’re not doing something about the climate emergency, it’s probably because you don’t understand quite how dangerous it is. Either that, or you’re profiting from destroying our planet. These protests shouldn’t even be needed – ending fossil fuel investment is economic and environmental common sense. Our government should be investing in renewable energy, clean public transport and insulating homes. Yet Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and co are actively encouraging new oil and gas fields in the North Sea.”
Ed Miliband, the shadow climate change secretary and former party leader, has yet to publicly endorse Reed’s demands, but aides said he agreed with the position. Miliband has previously described blockades as “inappropriate and counterproductive”. Others on Labour’s frontbench are said to have concerns about the demand for injunctions.
There is also a growing grassroots backlash on Labour’s left wing over the party’s official stance. Chris Saltmarsh, co-founder of Labour for a Green New Deal, said his group was “seriously concerned to see Labour’s frontbench calling for such a harsh response to peaceful protest calling for action on the climate crisis”.
“The protesters’ demand to stop new fossil fuel extraction is a basic one which should be uncontroversial to a Labour party claiming commitment to decarbonisation and a Green New Deal,” he said. “Instead of trying to outdo the government on petty authoritarianism, Starmer and his team should focus on making the case for a positive and transformative vision to tackle both the climate and cost of living crises.”
Senior figures in the party are relishing any battle, however. A Labour source said the party was taking the stance for the simple reason that it was “where the voters are”. They added: “It’s a commonsense position. Our position on climate change is strong and this doesn’t change the fact we think it’s the most pressing issue facing the planet, but we’re recognising you don’t solve it by annoying workers.”
