Dominic Casciani
Home and Legal Correspondent

Neither the police nor the Home Secretary want more protests and hundreds of people have tonight given a metaphorical two fingers to that appeal by turning up in Parliament Square.

The crowd - seemingly predominantly women - have been chanting that they will never be divided and listening in the last few minutes to speeches.

It's crowded - most people are wearing masks - but there's no social distancing. So on paper it's an illegal gathering under the coronavirus regulations.

But that's not the point, say the women - they want their voices to be heard - and to be heard by Parliament debating measures they say could be used to silence them.

Image source, Reuters

People have been leaving floral tributes for Sarah Everard at the bandstand in Clapham Common for several days now.

Joanne Beaney, who travelled to Clapham from north-west London to lay a bouquet with her baby daughter today, says she has found Sarah Everard's death particularly upsetting .

"You just feel like it could have been any one of us," she says.

"Maybe I find it harder because I'm a mum, and I don't know, somebody being abducted off the streets late at night... the fact that it happened is just terrifying."

Joanne, 37, says the incident has made her feel less protected by the police.

"Would I see police in the same way, and would I turn to a policeman when I'm feeling vulnerable, which I always would have done - would I be a bit more fearful of doing that? Maybe, yes."

• How many attacks on women are there?
• How a woman's death sparked UK soul-searching

Image source, Reuters

Verity Mullan-Wilkinson, a 29-year-old actor from West Yorkshire, travelled to Clapham from Hackney in east London to lay flowers and a card.

"Coming down here seemed like the right way to pay respect," she says.

"Last week was a really hard week, a heavy week with a lot going on in the press, mixing with International Women's Day, when you want to feel positive and strong about being a woman, and everything with Sarah was upsetting."

She adds that the quieter streets during Covid lockdowns have made walking home alone as a woman feel "more intimidating".

Image source, Parliament TV

The chair of the Women and Equalities Committee has asked for assurances that concerns over violence against women and girls will not be heard by a taskforce made up solely of men.

Caroline Nokes MP welcomed the reopening of the consultation on violence against women and girls. She says 78,000 responses is "absolutely enormous".

"These are women who do not have confidence in the system at present and we desperately need to instil confidence for them."

She asks: "Can my right honourable friend assure me that those women are going to have their voices heard in the justice taskforce which looks suspiciously like an all male room?

Priti Patel says the justice taskforce "is not a male show at all" and there are a range of voices.

"I am obviously part of that, as is the safeguarding minister and there are many other agencies and parties involved in that, including the first female Metropolitan Police Commissioner," she says.

"I would urge people from being too judgemental that all the work that takes place in government is just by men, because it is not."

Image source, HoC

"This house criminalised freedom of protest," Conservative Charles Walker says.

"This House, not Dame Cressida, not the Metropolitan police, we did."

"We are up to our eyeballs in this," he adds.

He asks Priti Patel if she agrees that "now is the time to decriminalise freedom of protest - not tomorrow, not next week but this evening."

Priti Patel replies that the country is still in the pandemic and that restrictions will be eased in line with the prime minister's roadmap.

Faye Jones MP says what started as a peaceful and important vigil turned into a protest, and says she saw some people holding signs that criticised the police.

"I'm concerned that a young woman's murder could be hijacked by those who would seek to defund the police and destabilise our society making it even harder for women to come forward and report assaults."

The home secretary says: "We will continue absolutely to do everything in terms of our strategy, policy and laws going forward to protect women and ensure they are safeguarded in the right way.

"A peaceful vigil on Saturday turned into some pretty ugly scenes... where individuals were acting inappropriately in the way that she has said that will be subject to some consideration too."

Labour MP Harriet Harman - the House of Commons' longest serving female member - criticises the police for failing to reach an agreement with the organisers to ensure the vigil could go ahead.

She says the law on protests needs clarifying so demonstrations can go ahead safely.

Home Secretary Priti Patel acknowledges that "this has been a very difficult period" adding "we have asked the police to do unprecedented things".

"They have unprecedented powers based on the need to protect public health," she says and expresses the hope this will change as lockdown measures are eased.

Labour's Diane Abbott says the police talked about "the overriding need to protect people's safety".

"Some are puzzled at the idea that you can make people safe by man-handling and cuffing them," she says.

On the policing bill, Abbott says the law is "designed to crack down on peaceful protest by groups like Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter".

"Can she understand why many people in this country believe that giving the police even more powers can only lead to more scenes like the distressing scenes that the nation witness on Saturday at the vigil?" Abbott, a former shadow home secretary, asks.

Priti Patel says the MP should not "be judgemental" until the report is published.

She says the bill is necessary because protester tactics have changed in recent years and dismisses Abbott's "characterisation" of the legislation.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith urges MPs not to prejudge what happened at the vigil on Saturday night before all the evidence has been heard.

The Conservative MP says he has received a note from a female police officer who was at the vigil on Clapham Common on Saturday night.

"She was threatened, she was told that she should have been murdered, not Sarah Everard, and that she was manhandled.

"I say on all sides we should be dialling this down not raising the temperature by calling for resignations."

The home secretary says: "I too have been written to by many police officers expressing very similar sentiments as well from their own experiences and I think the point about not prejudging is absolutely right."

Priti Patel says she has received a report from the Met Police and there is now an independent review which will deliver the full facts and strengthen public confidence in policing.

Green MP Caroline Lucas says the police "got it terribly wrong on Saturday night".

"Handing over more draconian powers to the police when they have got it so badly wrong would be both foolish and dangerous," she says, making reference to the government's new policing bill.

She argues the proposed law "criminalises protests which are noisy or when they have impact".

Priti Patel says the government believes in freedom of expression and protest.

She accuses Lucas of "completely misrepresenting the details of the bill".

In case you missed the beginning of the House of Commons debate, here's a clip of Home Secretary Priti Patel's opening statement.

She said her feeling of "heartache" over Sarah Everard's death could be summed up in five words: "She was just walking home."

Patel told MPs she was listening to women and girls and their views would "help to shape a new stategy" on tackling violence against them.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who called for Cressida Dick's resignation on Saturday night, is the next MP to ask the Priti Patel a question.

He says: "The scenes of women being forced to the ground restrained and arrested simply for holding a peaceful vigil in memory of Sarah Everard and in condemnation of violence against women and girls were utterly disgraceful.

"Of course the Met Commissioner Cressida Dick must resign but can I ask what personal responsibility she herself has for the terrible handling of this peaceful vigil?"

He asks if the home secretary spoke to the Met commissioner in the run up to the vigil and if so what advice did she give her?

Patel says: "I had been in touch with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner on Friday and throughout the weekend and we have had extensive discussions in terms of planning and preparation for the vigil at the weekend."

She says on Friday legal action was under way so there were various plans the police were working on.

She says: "I will be very clear though, on Friday my views were known and they were based in the fact that people who wanted to pay tribute... bear in mind we are in a pandemic... but people who lived locally... laying flowers was the right thing to do."

But, she says, the scenes on Saturday were upsetting and that is the reason why she has requested a report into what happened.

Image source, Hoc

Back in the House of Commons, Labour MP for Streatham Bell Ribeiro-Addy says her constituents have "reacted with justified anger" to the police's treatment of those at the vigil to commemorate Sarah Everard.

She says it is "bitterly ironic that an event designed to highlight the issue of public safety for women was blocked on the grounds of public safety".

"What happened on Saturday was a reminder of what happens when police try to bypass the views of the communities they serve," she adds.

She asks the home secretary if she agrees the police got their approach "completely wrong".

Priti Patel reiterates her earlier comments and says it is appropriate that the events of Saturday are reviewed.

Lucy Manning
Special Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

For many this is a moment. A moment for the country and for women in particular.

The stream of people crossing Clapham Common is never ending. And when you reach the silent bandstand it still feels so emotionally charged. A circular tribute of flowers that fans out as more bouquets are laid.

Many women are crying. Men have come, some alone, others with their partners. Because this is a conversation women can't have on their own.

I've reported on this story from Kent and London last week: the discovery of a body, the arrest of a police officer, the criticism of the police. And it wasn't until arriving on Clapham Common that I really understood how this has triggered something in so many women and why almost everyone here, although they didn't know Sarah Everard, cry for her and for their own experiences of harassment, abuse or rape.

As one card left with flowers in memory of Sarah Everard said: "Your story is ours and ours is yours."

Image source, HoC

Conservative MP Philip Davies says it is "clearly unacceptable for any woman to feel unsafe".

He makes a number of suggested solutions to tackle the problem including rolling out more CCTV cameras; "stop taking people off the DNA database" and increased sentences for those convicted of sexual assault.

Priti Patel thanks him for his proposals and suggests he joins the committee for the policing bill so he can influence the legislation.

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Yvette Cooper says: "Eight months ago I put forward measures to deal with repeat perpetrators of abuse and stalking, to be able to register them, to be able to prevent the problem where they move from one victim to another. No one keeps track and they get away with it."

Cooper says at that time ministers said those measures weren't needed.

She asks the home secretary if she has looked at this again and asks if she will work with her to bring in these strong measures in to keep women safe.

Patel says: "There is something about perpetrators and their serial offending that has to be addressed, there is no question about that at all...I will be very candid, we will look at all measures and rightly so.

"We should be doing everything possible to keep women safe but actually keeping everyone safe and the behaviour of serial perpetrators, serial offenders is deeply corrosive and deeply damaging and obviously with dreadful consequences."

Image source, HoC

SNP MP Angela Crawley says police "face difficult decisions" but adds that their actions at the vigil for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common on Saturday evening "appear disproportionate".

She supports the home secretary's decision to ask for a review.

Priti Patel agrees the pandemic has been "a difficult and demanding period for the police".

Turning to the bill due to be debated later, Crawley says the "right to protest must remain a human right".

In response, Patel insists the government "absolutely supports freedom of expression" and adds that the legislation will deal with how police use their powers to manage protests.

Image source, HoC

Conservative MP Dehenna Davison says she was moved to hear 78,000 people have responded to the reopened consultation on tackling violence against women and girls.

She asks if the home secretary agrees that the best way to "make our streets feel safer for everyone" is to "listen to all voices, both men and women, people from all different political persuasions" to ensure politicians are "truly working together to deliver the changes we need".

Priti Patel replies: "She is of course absolutely right and this is a collective effort for everyone to be part of shaping future strategy, policy and legislation... we can do that together."

Image source, HoC

The former prime minister, Theresa May, welcomes the progress of the government's Domestic Abuse Bill - but adds that legislation "is not enough".

She asks what the government will do to change attitudes and ensure young men and boys are taught to "respect women".

Priti Patel agrees there are "cultural and behavioural aspects that must be changed" and says this is something she thinks about "as a mother bringing up a young son".

There is so much work to do," she says, adding: "We can never be complacent."

The home secretary says Nick Thomas-Symonds's claim that the sentencing bill does nothing for women is "completely wrong".

She points to the "significant contributions" of the house to the Domestic Abuse Bill and says the government is "committed at the highest level to tackling violence against women and girls".

Patel rejects Thomas-Symonds's assertion that the bill does not mention women specifically, as she says the laws apply "equally to everybody".

She says the government is working "to completely reverse the decline in outcomes we have seen in recent years" for rape cases.

She says the bill "will end the halfway release for those convicted of sexual offences including rape - they will spend two thirds of their sentence behind bars".

Image source, HoC

Shadow home secretary Labour's Nick Thomas-Symonds says things "clearly went very wrong" at the vigil in Clapham on Saturday.

He asks the home secretary if she will publish the independent report as well as communications she had with the police ahead of the event.

He also accuses the government of "a chronic failure" to address violence against women and girls.

"Meetings and reopening surveys are not enough," he says.

Thomas-Symonds also says the government's sentencing bill - due to be debated this evening - needs to include action on stalking, adding that it risks becoming "an abuser's charter".