We’ve finished hearing from police and are now hearing from some of those arrested at the Coronation.

Graham Smith, the head of the anti-monarchy group Republic, and Suzie Melvin, a Night Stars volunteer with Westminster City Council, were detained.

We are also hearing from barrister Adam Wagner, an expert in protest law.

MP Joanna Cherry asks Matt Twist about crowds booing a large group of protesters at Trafalgar Square.

Cherry says she’s worried about “the idea that it’s a good thing to arrest people" if the crowd doesn’t like them.

Twist says those particular protesters were not arrested.

The questioning then pivots to Australian woman Alice Chambers, a royal fan who was held for 13 hours by police after being mistaken as a protester.

Twist says there is an ongoing complaint, but did not offer any more details - or say if police would apologise to Chambers.

James Daly, Tory MP for Bury North, asks Matt Twist more about the arrests made during the Coronation and whether they were lawful.

In response, Twist says their actions were lawful because: "At that moment, those officers formed reasonable ground to believe the people they had detained had committed that offence."

Twist says:

• 52 arrests were linked to activists or direct action protests
• Groups of people in possession of white paint and plastic bottles wearing hi-vis jackets that could be construed as stewarding jackets were also arrested
• Intelligence in relation to Just Stop Oil intending to disrupt the procession resulted in 23 arrests
• Eight more arrests were made for other offenses, including possession of weapons and drugs
• Facial recognition led to two arrests being made for one suspect who was wanted for breaching a sexual offence prevention order and the other was arrested for being equipped to steal

Matt Twist told the committee he shared urgent intelligence with the home secretary and the Mayor of London the day before the Coronation.

The intelligence warned of threats including defacing historical monuments, people breaking on to the official route and using loud noises to disrupt the Coronation, he says.

He told the committee there were hundreds of thousands of people in central London and there was a particular concern about police horses.

With wet conditions, Twist said there was a risk any sudden loud music could have spooked the horses and caused a safety risk.

Tim Loughton, Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, asks Matt Twist whether he has seen luggage straps with combination locks used to lock on protest signs.

Twist responds that he hasn’t but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

He adds that normally he see placards attached with cable ties or string - but the unusual presence of luggage straps with their combination locks attached is what would have aroused the suspicion of officers.

Now the disruption seems to be over, let's get back to the committee hearing.

Matt Twist says arrests were made after officers found 12 heavy duty straps with combination locks in sealed plastic bags.

Protesters have claimed those straps were for securing placards - but Twist says officers had to make a decision in the moment.

Daniel Sandford
Home Affairs Correspondent

From the start of the hearing a small group of activists could be seen behind the police officers. They were wearing white T-shirts with Just Stop Oil written on them.

They sat quietly at first but there was always a risk they would try to disrupt the hearing.

That is what happened. The video feed was cut, and they were removed.

Perhaps those responsible for security in Parliament felt they did not want to keep activists out of a hearing that was specifically covering the topic of the right to protest.

As we reported minutes ago, the broadcast of the MPs' hearing was briefly suspended.

A man wearing a Just Stop Oil T-shirt could be seen standing up and then a voice, apparently his, could be heard speaking briefly.

This was then followed by groans and calls for security to step in.

Once the video footage was restored, MP Tim Loughton said: "To be clear, they were Just Stop Oil protesters who tried to undermine the activities of this committee with our witnesses today."

The broadcast of the hearing momentarily came to a pause. It appears Just Stop Oil protesters were involved.

Some voices could be heard in the background of the broadcast. We'll bring you more detail when we have it.

Matt Twist tells the committee Just Stop Oil did not engage with the police, which leads to greater obstruction.

The anti-monarchy group Republic did liaise with the police ahead of time, he says, in terms of letters and further correspondence, but "I don't know if there was specific engagement on this new legislation".

Conservative MP Simon Fell asks how police forces prepare for a new act like the recent Public Order Act.

Chris Noble says it can be challenging and that police have been dealing with a lot of moving parts recently when it comes to legislation.

He adds that while police can identify gaps in legislation, the making of law and the time of it beginning to be enforced is ultimately a matter for Parliament.

Matt Twist says that while it was short notice between Royal Assent for the new legislation and police being informed, he believes they were in good shape - and that officers knew what they had to do.

Matt Twist, temporary assistant commissioner at the Met Police, argues they were not under political pressure to police the Coronation in "a certain way".

We're now hearing from Joanna Cherry, SNP MP for Edinburgh South West, who asks Chris Noble - chief constable and protest lead at the National Police Chiefs' Council - about getting the balance right when it comes to protests.

"Policing is not anti-protest," Noble says, adding that "it is a good thing for society" to be able to protest in a "peaceful and reasonable" way.

However, it is important to ensure the tipping point is not reached, he says.

Pushed on whether police officers receive training on human rights obligations, he says there is some initial training, which is reinforced on an ongoing basis when new legislation is introduced.

Here's more from Matt Twist.

While he felt “no pressure politically”, it was the biggest protection operation the police have ever run so it came with its own pressure - “to do a good job”.

The temporary assistant commissioner says he has seen reports that protests were banned, but that “simply wasn’t the case”.

Did the Met Police feel they were under political pressure to police in a certain way, asks committee chair Diana Johnson.

Matt Twist, assistant commissioner for Met Police Operations, replies with one word: "No".

He goes on to tell the committee they police "without fear nor favour".

"Our objective is to police the laws as they are set. The Coronation was a historic moment. We are proud to have ensured it was delivered safely despite the most complex policing picture we had ever encountered."

The meeting of a cross-party group of MPs, who are looking at policing during the Coronation and the treatment of anti-monarchy protesters, is starting now.

It will hear from various people, including police officers and some of those arrested.

Stay with us as we bring you live coverage - you can watch the hearing by pressing play at the top of the page.

A royal fan who was mistaken for a protester and detained by police spoke to the BBC about what happened last week.

Alice Chambers told BBC Newsnight she was handcuffed, fingerprinted and held for 13 hours when officers arrested Just Stop Oil protesters she happened to be standing near to on the Mall.

The police say they are reviewing the incident and trying to establish the full details of what happened.

Daniel Sandford
Home Affairs Correspondent

The law was designed to be used for people using things like high-end bike locks.

But it was being used for a group with luggage straps that could have been easily cut with tools designed to cut seat belts in the event of a car accident. Tools that are usually found in every police vehicle.

The group spent some 16 hours in police custody, and eventually received a personal apology from officers two days later.

They are considering suing the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest.

The 2023 Public Order Act is the government's second major piece of legislation changing protest laws in under two years.

In 2022 MPs voted to place greater restrictions on public processions if they are too noisy.

The new act goes further:

• Protesters who interfere with "key national infrastructure" including roads and railways can face 12 months in jail
• Anyone who fixes themselves to an object or building to create an immovable obstacle, a tactic known as "locking on", could be jailed for six months
• The law bans protesters from committing acts of "serious disruption" - meaning demonstrations which prevent people going about their day-to-day activities
• Other new offences include up to three years in jail for tunnelling as part of a protest. Police will also have new powers to search people for super-glues and padlocks

Daniel Sandford
Home Affairs Correspondent

When we arrived at Trafalgar Square at 6am on Coronation day, there was already a small group of protesters from the anti-monarchy group Republic.

They were the advance party, securing their spot near to the coronation route, and setting up parts of their sound system.

They had with them a couple of giant yellow flags.

Some time just before 7am, a few of them went off to meet the van bringing the pre-printed placards. They never came back.

Then, BBC Radio 4's Today programme contacted me saying that Graham Smith, the CEO of Republic who was due on the programme that morning, had not answered their calls.

I looked around and realised he was not there.

Some of the protesters said they had heard he might have been arrested and they showed me a picture of their van, just at the bottom of St Martin’s Lane, surrounded by police.

So I set off with cameraman Stuart Antrobus and Keith Adams to see what had happened.

Smith had already been taken away but we found three protesters, two of them in handcuffs, still being held by police.

Anti-monarchy protester Matt Turnbull said the police officers had been interested in some luggage straps that they were using to hold their placards together.

That was when I realised this was likely to be the first use of new protest laws introduced just three days earlier, making it illegal to “go equipped for locking on”.