Labour MP Barry Gardiner defends breach of social distancing rules during Black Lives Matter protest
A Labour MP today defended his breach of social distancing rules during yesterday’s Black Lives Matter protest in London.
Brent North MP Barry Gardiner was criticised in the Commons after kneeling down among a crowd of demonstrators outside Parliament.
Conservative MP Imran Ahman Khan said Mr Gardiner had ‘flagrantly flouted the law’ and should be forced to undergo a period of self-isolation.
Mr Gardiner, a former member of Jeremy Corbyn’s front bench team, said it was impossible to observe social distancing rules during the protest.
City Hall Conservatives today called on mayor Sadiq Khan to ‘discourage’ large scale protests in London until the coronavirus outbreak was over.
Clashes between police and protesters near Downing Street led to 13 arrests.