go to main Defend Protest page

LOBBY MPS AND THE LORDS

contact your MP
which Lords to lobby
contacting Lords
email addresses for Lords
urge them to sign EDM 299
key points to raise

Contacting your MP

Find out who your MP is by putting your postcode into www.writetothem.com

Write to any MP at: House of Commons, Westminster SW1A 0AA

Phone them through the House of Commons switchboard - 020 7219 4272

Email them very easily via www.writetothem.com.

Which Lords to lobby

This is an important time to lobby the House of Lords, make them aware of the issues and ask them to oppose, or make amendments to, the legislation. However, unlike MPs, the Lords do not represent constituencies which makes it more difficult to know who to write to. Here are some suggestions.

The leaders of the parties in the Lords:

Liberal Democrat leader in the Lords - Lord McNally, tel 020 7219 5443, tmcnally@webershandwick.com, website
Labour leader in the Lords - Baroness Amos, tel 020 7219 4120, amosv@parliament.uk, website
Conservative Leader in the Lords - Lord Strathclyde, tel 020 7219 3236, website

The Law Lords - see here for more info

Lord Chancellor (and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs)
Falconer of Thoroton, L.

Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (‘Law Lords’) in order of seniority:
Bingham of Cornhill, L. (Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary)
Nicholls of Birkenhead, L. (Second senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary)
Steyn, L.
Hoffmann, L.
Hope of Craighead, L.
Saville of Newdigate, L.
Scott of Foscote, L.
Rodger of Earlsferry, L.
Walker of Gestingthorpe, L.
Hale of Richmond, B.
Carswell, L.
Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, L.

Lords who are actively sympathetic on other civil rights/peace issues etc e.g. Lord Avebury, Lord Rae

Crossbenchers and Independents
See here for details of independent Lords, and here for details of crossbenchers.
The following lists are some of the special interests of crossbenchers. For the full list of interests, and other info on Crossbenchers, see here.

Lords on various committees

Take your pick
The full list of Lords, their contact details and interests can be found here.

Contacting the Lords

Telephone: Ring the main Palace of Westminster switchboard 020 7219 3000 and ask to be put through to a member. The switchboard will try to connect you if the member has a desk and telephone number.

Leave a message with the ‘Message Service’ 020 7219 5353.

Write: Letters addressed to members at the - House of Lords, LONDON, SW1A 0PW

Email: see below

See here for more info on contacting Lords.

See here for how to address Lords correctly - this is probably important if you want them to respond to you. All male peers (except Dukes and Archbishops) should be addressed as "My Lord", all female peers simply as "Dear Lady [surname]". Dukes and Archbishops should be addressed as "Your Grace".

Email addresses for Lords

Not all Lords are on email. Click on a link below to send a message.

Acton, Lord
Addington, Lord
Adebowale, Victor
Ahmed, Nazir
Alderdice, Lord
Alexander, Baron
Allenby, Viscount
Alli, Waheed
Alton, Lord
Amos, Baroness
Ampthill, Lord
Andrews, Baroness
Anelay, Baroness
Armstrong, Lord
Ashley, Lord
Ashton, Baroness
Astor, Johnnie
Astor, William
Attlee, Earl
Avebury, Lord
Bagri, Raj
Baker, Lord
Baldwin, Lord Edward
Barber, Baron
Barker, Baroness
Barnett, Joel (Lord)
Bassam, Steven
Beaumont, Lord
Bennetts, Lord Bishop
Berkeley, Lord
Bernstein, Lord
Best, Richard (Lord)
Bhatia, Amirali
Bhattacharyya, Lord
Biffen, John
Billingham, Baroness
Birt, John
Bishop Of St Albans
Blackstone, Tessa
Blackwell, Lord Norman
Blatch, Baroness
Blood, Baroness
Bonham-Carter, Baroness
Boothroyd Lady
Borrie, Lord
Boston, Lord
Bowness, Lord
Brabazon, Lord
Bradshaw, Lord
Brennan, Lord
Brett, William
Bridgeman, Viscount
Broers, Alec
Brooke (Of Alverthorpe), Lord
Brooke (Of Sutton Mandeville), Lord
Brookeborough, Lord
Bruce, Lord
Burlison, Baron
Burnham, Hugh
Burns, Lord
Buscombe, Baroness
Butler, Lord
Butler, Lord (Bishop Of Southwark)
Butterworth, Lord
Byford, Baroness
Caithness, Lord
Cameron, Ewen
Campbell, Lord Alan
Campbellsavours, Dale
Carey, Lord
Carlile, Of Berriew Lord
Carlisle, Of Bucklow Lord
Carrington, Lord
Carswell, Lord
Carter, Denis
Cassidy, George
Chadlington, Peter
Chalfont, Baron
Chalker, Baroness
Chan, Michael
Chapman, Baroness
Clark, David
Clarke, Anthony (Lord)
Clement-Jones, Lord
Clyde, Lord
Cohen, Janet
Colville, Viscount
Colwyn, Lord
Condon, Paul
Cooke, Lord
Cope, Lord
Corbett, Robin
Courtown, Earl
Cox, Baroness
Craig, Baron
Craigavon, Janric
Cranborne, Viscount
Crathorne, Lord
Crawley, Baroness
Crickhowell, Lord
Cumberlege, Baroness
Dahrendorf, Lord
Darcydeknayth, Davina
David, Baroness
Davies, Bryan
Dean, Baroness
Dearing, Lord
Denham, Bertram
Desai, Lord
Dholakia, Baron
Dixon, Lord
Dixon, Smith Lord
Dodds, Henry
Donaldson, Lord
Donoughue, Lord
Drayson, Lord
D'souza, Baroness
Dubs, Lord
Dundee, Earl
Dykes, Lord
Eames, Lord
Eatwell, Lord
Eccles, Diana
Eden, Lord
Elder, Lord
Elis-Thomas, Lord
Elles, Baroness
Elton, Lord
Erroll, Earl
Evans, David
Evans, John (Lord)
Evans, Matthew
Ezra, Derek
Falkender, Baroness
Falkner, Baroness
Farrington, Baroness
Faulkner, Lord
Fearn, Lord
Feldman, Lord
Ferrers, Lord
Filkin, Lord
Finlay, Ilora
Fookes, Baroness
Forsyth, Lord
Fowler, Norman
Fraser, Peter
Freeman, Lord
Freyberg, Valerian
Gale, Baroness
Garden, Lord
Gardner, Baroness
Gareljones, Lord
Gavron, Lord
Geddes, Lord
Gibson, Anne
Giddens, Lord
Gilbert, John
Gilmour, Lord
Gladwin, John
Glenarthur, Lord
Glentoran, Lord
Goff, Robert
Golding, Lady Llinos
Goldsmith, Lord
Goodhart, Lord
Gordon, Lord
Goschen, Viscount
Goudie, Baroness
Gould, Baroness
Gould, Lord
Grantchester, Lord
Gray, Lord
Greaves, Lord
Greenfield, Susan
Greengross, Baroness
Grenfell, Lord
Grocott, Bruce
Hale, Lady
Hamwee, Sally
Hanham, Lady
Hanningfield, Lord
Harris, Baroness
Harris, Lord
Harris, Lord
Harrison, Lord
Haskel, Lord
Hayhoe, Lord
Hayman, Helene
Henig, Baroness
Henley, Lord
Higgins, Lord
Hilton, Baroness
Hodgson, Lord
Hoffmann, Lord
Hogg, Baroness
Hogg, Lord
Holderness, Lady
Hollis, Baroness
Hooson, Emlyn
Hope, Lord
Howarth, Baroness
Howe, Baroness
Howe, Frederick (Earl)
Howe, G Lord
Howell, Lord
Howells, Rosali
Howie, Lady
Howie, Lord
Hoyle, Lord
Hughes, Lord
Hunt, D Lord
Hunt, Lady Paddy
Hunt, Lord
Hylton, Raymond
Inge, Lord
Irvine, Lord
Jacobs, Lord
Janner, Lord
Jay, Baroness
Jeger, Baroness
Jenkin, Lord
Joffe, Lord
Jones, Lord
Jones, Lord
Jopling, Lord
Jordan, Lord
Judd, Lord
Kalms, Lord
Kelly, Lizzy
Kimball, Lord
King, Lord
Kingsland, Lord
Knight, Lady
Laidlaw, Lord
Laird, Lord
Lamont, Lord
Lawson, Lord
Lea, Lord
Leicester, Bishop Of
Lester, Lord
Lewis, Lord
Lindesay-Bethune, Earl
Lindsay, Earl
Linklater, Baroness
Lipsey, Lord
Listowel, Earl
Liverpool, Earl
Livsey, Richard
Lloyd, Lord
Lockwood, Baroness
Lofthouse, Lord
Lucas, Lord
Luce, Richard
Ludford, Baroness
Luke, Lord
Macaulay, Lord
Macdonald, Lord
Macgregor, John
Mackay, D Lord
Mackay, Jp Lord
Mackenzie, B Lord
Mackenzie, H Lord
Maclennan, Robert
Maddock, Baroness
Maginnis, Lord
Mancroft, Benjamin
Mar, Countess
Marlesford, Lord
Massey, Doreen Lady
Maxton, Lord
Mayhew Of Twysden , Lord
Mccluskey, Lord
Mccoll, Lord
Mcdonagh, Baroness
Mcfarlane, Lady
Mcintosh, Baroness
Mcintosh, Lord
Mckenzie, Lord
Mcnally, Lord
Merlyn-Rees, Lady
Methuen, Lord
Miller, D Baroness
Miller, S Baroness
Millett, Lord
Mitchell, Lord
Montrose, Duke
Moran, Lord
Morgan, Baroness
Morgan, Lord
Morgan, Sally
Morris, J Lord
Morris, A Lord
Morris, Baroness
Murphy, Baroness
Neuberger, Julia
Newby, Lord
Nicholls, Lord
Nicholson, Emma (Mep)
Nicol, Baroness
Noakes, Sheila
Nolan, Lord
Northbourne, Lord
Northbrook, Lord
Northesk, Lord
Northover, Baroness
Norton, Lord
O'Cathain, Baroness
Onslow, Earl
Oxburgh, Lord
Oxford, Bishop Of
Palmer, Lord
Paul, Lord
Pearson, Lady
Pearson, Lord
Pendry, Lord
Perry, Pauline
Peston, Lord
Peyton, Lord
Pilkington, Lord
Pitkeathley, Baroness
Plant, Lord
Plumb, Lord
Ponsonby, Fred
Prashar, Usha
Prosser, Baroness
Puttnam, Lord
Radice, Giles
Rana, Lord
Randall, Lord
Rawlings, Baroness
Razzall, Lord
Rea, Lord
Reay, Lord
Redesdale, Lord
Rees, Lord
Rendell, Ruth
Rennard, Lord
Renton, T Lord
Richard, Lord
Richardson, Lady
Rix, Lord
Roberts, Lord (Of Conwy)
Roberts, Lord (Of Llandudno)
Rochester, The Lord Bishop Of
Rodger, Alan
Rodgers, William
Rogan, Lord
Roper, Lord
Rosser, Lord
Rosslyn, Earl
Rotherwick, Lord
Royall, Baroness
Russell-Johnston, Lord
Ryder, Richard
Saatchi, Lord
Saltoun, Lady
Sandwich, John
Saville, Lord
Sawyer, Lord
Scotland, Baroness
Scott, Baroness
Seccombe, Baroness
Selborne, Earl
Selkirk, Lord
Selsdon, Lord
Sewel, Lord
Sharman, Colin
Sharp, Baroness
Sharples, Baroness
Sheldon, Robert
Sheppard, D Lord
Shrewsbury, Earl
Shutt, David
Simon, J Viscount
Simon, Lord
Skelmersdale, Lord
Skidelsky, Lord
Smith, Elizabeth Lady
Smith, P Lord
Smith, Trevor
Soulsby, Lawson
Steel, Lord
Stern, Baroness
Stevens, David Lord
Stevenson, Lord
St John, Anthony
Stoddart, D Lord
Stone, Lord
Strange, Baroness
Strathclyde, Lord
Sutherland, Lord
Swinfen, Lord
Symons, Baroness
Tanlaw, Lord
Taverne, Lord
Taylor, Jdb Lord
Taylor, Thomas
Tebbit, Lord
Temple-Morris, Peter
Thatcher, Baroness
Thomas, Baroness
Thomas, Hugh
Thomas, M Lord
Thomas, T Lord
Thomson, Lord
Thornton, Baroness
Tope, Lord
Trefgarne, Lord
Triesman, Lord
Truscott, Lord
Tunnicliffe, Lord
Turnberg, Lord
Uddin, Baroness
Ullswater, Viscount
Vallance, Lord
Vincent, Lord
Vivian, Lord
Waddington, Lord
Wade, William
Wakefield, Lord
Wakeham, John
Walker, Lord Peter
Wall, Baroness
Wallace, W Lord
Walmsley, Baroness
Walpole, Lord
Walton, Lord
Warnock, Baroness
Warwick, Baroness
Watson, M Lord
Waverley, Jd
Wedderburn, Lord
Wharton, Lord Bishop
Whitaker, Janet
Whitty, Lord
Wilcox, Baroness
Wilkins, Baroness
Williams, Baroness
Williams, Lord
Williamson, David
Willoughby, Lord
Wilson, Lord
Windlesham, Lord
Winston, Lord
Woolmer, Kenneth
Worcester, Bishop Of
Young, Baroness
Young, Baroness
Young, J Baroness
Young, Lord

Urge then to sign EDM 299

Early Day Motion 299 about Parliament Square Peace Protests - if your MP has not signed please ask them to.

PARLIAMENT SQUARE PEACE PROTESTS 06.12.04
McDonnell/John
That this House expresses deep concern at the Government's renewed attempts to stifle protest, by proposing to impose conditions on all demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament Square and to ban permanent encampments and the use of megaphones; notes previous unsuccessful attempts to remove anti-war protester Mr Brian Haw, who has been there in all weathers for over three years, and the Global Women's Strike weekly picket, which has been there for a year and a half; considers it misleading and inappropriate to use anti-gangster legislation such as the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill against peaceful, principled political protest; and calls upon the Government to guarantee the democratic right of all to protest where they can be seen and heard by honourable Members.

see list of signatories

Key points relating to clauses 129-135

For more details on the legislation see the main Defend Protest page

The following are in no particular order

THIS LEGISLATION WILL REMOVE BRIAN HAW'S PEACE PROTEST FROM PARLIAMENT SQUARE AND COULD STOP ALL PROTEST WITHIN 1KM OF PARLIAMENT. IT IS A SEVERE CONTRAVENTION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS ACT AND A FUNDAMENTAL ATTACK ON DEMOCRACTIC PRINCIPLES.

Liberty statement on the incompatibility of this legislation with the Human Rights Act:
"The right to peaceful protest goes to the heart of the British tradition of liberty. It is an indictment upon the Government that they seek to pass primary legislation which will end demonstrations near Parliament...It is difficult to see how Clause 129 can be compatible with Article 11 of the Human Rights Act (the Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association)."
from Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill, Liberty's briefing for the Second Reading in the Lords, March 2005 See here

The debate in the House of Commons on 7 Feb showed how flawed and unworkable the legislation is.

The Government's handling of the Bill through the Commons (allowing minimal debate and amending the whole of the relevant clauses so that no other amendments could be submitted) was disgraceful and angered many MPs.

The Home Office Minister mis-characterised the impact of the noise on Parliament and the security threat.

The Home Office Minister suggested that the Government are still consulting on aspects of the relevant clauses - why was this not done before the legislation was drafted so Parliamentarians would know what they were voting for?

The Home Office Minister and certain Lords (see debate on 15 June) have suggested that Brian and other protestors are making use of 'gaps and loopholes' when all they are doing is exercising their right to free speech. When does a right become finding a loophole?

Although this legislation is aimed are removing Brian and anti-war weekly community picket in particular, it will be used for other purposes for which there is absolutely no justification for, or call to bring in, new laws to stop.

Brian's protest cannot be said to be 'hindering any person from entering or leaving the Palace of Westminster' or 'hindering the proper operation of Parliament' (the first to 'behaviours'). These are covered by Sessional Orders.

With the possible exception of 'disruption to the life of the community' all the other situations in which this law would apply can be dealt with using other legislation.

'Disruption to the life of the community' is a catch-all category under which almost any activity could be placed.

The legislation would lead to most protest within 1km from Parliament Square being subject to severe restrictions or stopped, including Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

6 days notice of a demonstration would have to be given to the Metropolitan Commissoner yet there are many circumstances in which a more immediate protest would need to be made. The Government say that there will be 'exceptional circumstances' yet have not said what they will be or who will decide when they occur.

The Metropolitan Commissioner will have to make a political decision as to whether or not a demonstration should go ahead or be restricted - a clear and dangerous contravention of free speech principles.

The restrictions that may be imposed would not in reality be workable e.g. to stipulate how many people may turn up to demonstrate.

The restrictions imposed could be changed without notice on the day by any senior police officer - effectively make it impossible for legitimate protests to be effectively organised.

A single police officer would be asked to judge, on the day, if the demonstration needed to be restricted. The tendency could be just to stop all protests just in case they were a 'disruption'.

Failure to comply with their directions will lead to peaceful protestors entering the criminal justice system.

Loudspeakers will be banned except for use by those in various positions of authority yet traffic noise is very loud in the whole area and amplification is a traditional and important aspect of demonstrations.

Whether or not you agree with Brian's protest, he won the right to make it at the High Court in October 2002 when the judge ruled that Brian was exercising his right to freedom of speech in Parliament Square and the pavement obstruction was not 'unreasonable'. The judge thought that freedom of speech was more imporant than any obstruction or disruption.

Brian has shown himself to be incredibly serious and dedicated to the peace and justice issues he is raising and has support from all parts of the world.

The presence of Brian and the freedom to protest around Parliament demonstrates that we live in a democracy (?) and any attempt to remove that right would be very damaging for the Government.

Throughout history protest has led to important changes that we now take for granted and must be protected etc etc.

Urge people to visit Brian and see for themselves what he is doing and to hear what he has to say.

AMENDMENTS (4 April 2005)
Some amendments have been put forwards by Lords as follows:
- scrap the clauses prohibiting loudspeakers
- reduce the designated area from 1km to 100 metres
- scrap the 6 days notice period that protest organisers would have to give
- add 'serious' to 'disruption to the life of the community'

The Government are themselves putting forward an amendment that would allow a 24 hour notice period if a 6 day notice period was not 'reasonably practicable'.

Even if these amendments were adopted, there is probably nothing in them that will stop Brian, and other protestors in Parliament Square, being evicted. The amendments would just make the Bill feel more acceptable and the Lords feel that they had challenged the government's undemocratic tendencies.

We need to tell them to reject the clauses (129-135) outright.