Government axes Lord Walney’s political violence adviser role

Lord Walney has called for more action to protect the public from “the menace of extreme protestors”, after his role as the government’s independent adviser on political violence was scrapped.

Under the previous Conservative government, the crossbench peer recommended extra powers for police to tackle demonstrations outside Parliament and for protests groups such as Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil to be banned.

The Home Office said Lord Walney’s work would “continue to inform our approach”.

His previous responsibilities will now be part of the commissioner for countering extremism’s remit.

Lord Walney – the former Labour MP John Woodcock – was given the job under Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020.

In a post on X confirming he was leaving the role, Lord Walney wrote: “At a time of increasing threats and intimidation, we must do more to protect our democracy and its MPs from organised coercion, and the public from the menace of extreme protestors.

“I will continue to contribute to this vital debate and hope ministers will show in the coming months that they understand the depth of the public’s contempt for activists who unlawfully disrupt their lives and cause criminal damage to get their way.

“In particular, the combined toll of the weekly Gaza marches shows that the balance is not currently set right.”

He added that the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill was an opportunity to “give police forces greater ability to balance the right to protest with the cumulative harm that weekly demonstrations can cause to communities and the huge drain on police resources at a time they are already overstretched”.

The government is recruiting for a new commissioner for countering extremism.

The role is currently held by Robin Simcox, who is due to finish his three-year term in July.

Last year he warned London had become a “no-go zone for Jews” during weekend pro-Palestinian marches.

The comments were condemned by protest groups, who insisted they were unfounded and pointed out members of the Jewish community also attended pro-Gaza rallies.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We want to thank Lord Walney for his dedicated work as independent advisor and his vital contribution to the UK government’s understanding of political violence and disruption.

“His work will continue to inform our approach as we move forward to assess the complex challenges facing our country.”

Lord Walney, a long-time critic of Jeremy Corbyn, left the Labour Party under his leadership, saying the party had been “taken over by the hard left” and “tolerated” antisemitism.

From 2010 to 2019 he served as MP for Barrow and Furness, and he joined the House of Lords in 2020.