[3] Measures that were rejected in this bill by the House of Lords, which gave further powers such as banning individuals from protests outright, were reintroduced the following year under the Public Order Act 2023 and came into force.

In June 2020, the statue of philanthropist and slave trader Edward Colston was toppled during a Black Lives Matter protest.

An opinion poll by YouGov in October 2019 found that 36% of those surveyed supported disruption to public transport by Extinction Rebellion, whilst 54% opposed.

[17] According to the UK Government "the National Police Chief’s Council have expressed concerns that existing public order legislation is outdated and no longer appropriate for responding to the highly disruptive protest tactics used by some groups today".

[18] The adoptive family of Tony Hudgell, injured as an infant by his birth parents, started a campaign for tougher sentences for child cruelty and neglect,[19] and their cause was taken up by their local MP for Tonbridge and Malling, Tom Tugendhat, who introduced a Child Cruelty (Sentences) Bill in the House of Commons in 2019.

The act was enacted in April 2022 and includes major proposals by the Johnson government to reform the criminal justice system.

[25] The act expands police powers allowing officers widespread access to private education and health care records, and suspicionless stop and search.

[27] Harper's Law, which extends mandatory life sentences for manslaughter of an emergency worker on duty, was also included in the bill.

Under previous UK legislation, police must show that a protest may cause "serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community" before imposing any restrictions.

[21][22] Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said the bill updates the Public Order Act 1986 and drew a distinction between peaceful protest and "activities which inhibit the lives of people".

[29] Robert Buckland, Secretary of State for Justice, said regarding the bill and protests: "We've got to think about the sometimes huge inconvenience caused to other people going about their lawful business.

On the topic of proposed legally-binding restrictions on protests, the APCC chair Paddy Tipping stated: "I think politicians would be wise to leave decisions to the responsible people."

[35] David Blunkett, the Labour Party home secretary from 2001 to 2004, called it an "anti-protest bill" threatening to make Britain look like Vladimir Putin's Russia.

[36] The bill was based on the 2019 report by the conservative Policy Exchange think tank, which received in 2017 a $30,000 donation by US-based oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil,[37] to target Extinction Rebellion.

[38] After it was reported that other UK-based think tank have received donations by climate change deniers, Scottish National Party MP Alyn Smith commented this showed the UK's lobbying laws were not tough enough, saying: "He who pays the piper calls the tune.

"[39] Green Party MP Caroline Lucas commented: "It appears that the Policing Bill is stained with the grubby, oil-soaked hands of the fossil fuel lobby.

"[38] Priti Patel, who advocated for the policing bill, said it was intended to stop tactics used by Extinction Rebellion, which was mistakenly listed as an extremist group by the South East Counter Terrorism Unit, and continued to defend the decision after the guide was disowned in 2020.

[26] Thousands of protestors against the bill gathered in College Green in Bristol city centre on Sunday, 21 March 2021, in violation of COVID-19 restrictions.

[45][41] Avon and Somerset Police retracted claims on 25 March that any officers suffered broken bones or punctured lungs.

[54] The Easter weekend saw protests in London, Bristol, Leicester, Guildford, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Weymouth, and Luton.