Just when you thought it was all over, Steve Bray’s back for an encore. With his boombox ripped from his hands yesterday by a swarm of Met officers, it looked like it was finally time to say bye, bye Bray-by. Not so much.
Undeterred, and as promised during a BBC interview yesterday afternoon, Bray is back on his island outside Parliament, having found a new boombox to blast his tunes at full volume as MPs walk past. He’s also picked up a gang of new supporters to chant along with him. Presumably they don’t have jobs to go to either. Chopper even claims he’s seen pedestrians hand Bray some cash in solidarity. It’s not like Met officers have far to commute given New Scotland Yard’s just metres away…
20 or so Met police officers have now swarmed Steve Bray to confiscate his loudspeaker and threaten his arrest. This is all a result of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which comes into force today. Here’s what Section 73 of the Act says regarding noisy protests:
“Section 73 amends section 12(1) of the 1986 Act allowing a senior police officer additionally to impose conditions on a public procession where they reasonably believed the noise generated by that procession may result in serious disruption to the activities of an organisation in the vicinity, or have a significant, relevant impact on people in the vicinity.”
They even threw his boom box into the back of a police van…
Hat-tip: Charlotte Lynch and Ellie Varley
The music’s finally stopping for Steve Bray. The Met police have just confronted Bray on his usual spot outside Parliament – his loudspeaker set to 11, as per – and warned he could face a fine, the confiscation of his amps, and even arrest unless he stops blasting his music at full volume. Apparently this is in response to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, although the officers themselves seem confused over how that’s meant to be enforced. Bray’s a massive nuisance, although having five police officers surround him like he’s a hardened criminal is a bit much…
The ongoing war of words between Red Wall Rottweiler Lee Anderson and Professional Loiterer Steve Bray has taken another dramatic turn. Yesterday, after Bray once again tried to confront Anderson on College Green, Lee bit back by asking “why haven’t you been sectioned yet?”. This, according to the London Economic, “sparked outrage”…
So much outrage that Shadow Mental Health Minister Rosena Allin-Khan demanded an immediate apology, claiming “MPs should not use mental health tropes when responding to criticism.”
MPs should not use mental health tropes when responding to criticism.
— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (@DrRosena) June 8, 2022
Being ‘sectioned’ is a very traumatic experience and has a huge impact on the lives of people and their families.
Lee Anderson should apologise. pic.twitter.com/90lmoPh9cj
Now, following Allin-Khan’s intervention, Anderson has offered a heartfelt apology. He tells Guido:
“I will be apologising to the good people of London as it would appear Lord Bray has slipped through the net and quite clearly should be getting help.”
Don’t count on it…
Michael Fabricant’s war on Westminster irritant Steve Bray has hit a semi-inevitable roadblock. While the Metropolitan Police have been working alongside the Parliament’s security department to gather evidence on Bray’s nuisance-making, following Fabricant’s written complaint, they’ve struggled to find witnesses who are willing to go to court and actually accuse Bray of harassment. Which would probably cause more hassle than just putting up with Bray’s whingeing…
Writing to Fabricant on behalf of the House of Commons Commission, Sir Charles Walker said:
“Some witnesses do not want to give statements or are unwilling to go to court; without such testimony it makes any legal action very unlikely. In addition, some behaviour does not constitute a criminal offence when viewed in isolation; without witness statements, building a persuasive case around persistent behaviour is very difficult.”
Still, he adds that the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation team are “considering all options” if and when they identify relevant statements and substantial evidence. Although he caveats that by saying “hearsay evidence is inadmissible in court”. Ultimately it was always a long shot that anything serious would come of all this – it was a stretch to call Bray’s behaviour “harassment“. Like Fabbers himself said, he’s really just a “pain in the arse”…
Read Walker’s written answer in full below:
Michael Fabricant’s campaign to ban Steve Bray from Westminster is stepping up a notch. Having already asked Hoyle for potential legal action against Bray over his antics – with parliamentary authorities allegedly gathering a body of evidence for a harassment case since April – Fabbers is now pushing the House of Commons Commission to step their game up while the investigation continues. Which could take months…
In the meantime, Fabricant is submitting a written question to ask what the Commission will do to stop “professional agitators” harassing MPs and staff:
“To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps are being taken by the Commission to ensure that Members and their staff are not harassed, obstructed, shouted at, or intimidated by professional agitators in the proximity of the Palace of Westminster; and if he will make a statement.”
Fabbers’ colleagues have already suggested a few novel ideas for dealing with Bray this week. Guido’s view is it’s best just to give Bray as good as he gets. He doesn’t like it very much. Fabricant tells Guido “Steve Bray is a menace trying to turn the clock back to when Britain was a cog in the EU wheel. He’s also a pain in the arse”…
