Westminster protests to be banned after fox hunt clashes

Vivid pictures of blood-stained campaigners were splashed across yesterday’s newspapers, leaving ministers concerned about a possible backlash from rural voters at next year’s election.

Police said 17 protesters were hurt during the clashes, though hunt campaigners said the real number of injuries was much higher.

Despite allegations of police brutality, Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, yesterday defended the use of truncheons against a "small core of determined troublemakers" who attacked officers and threw missiles including smokebombs and fireworks.

"No one got cracked over the head for no reason," Sir John insisted.

Despite the Commissioner’s assurances that Wednesday’s demonstration was properly policed, pro-hunting MPs were critical of the officers’ tactics.

The protesters were "generally law-abiding citizens" subjected to "horrific, excessive action" by the police, Sir Nicholas Winterton, a Conservative MP said in the Commons.

Peter Hain, the leader of the House of Commons, defended the police over the demonstration, but ministers are determined that there should be no chance for another such rally to take place on Parliament Square, directly outside Westminster. Under the complex constitutional rules controlling the Palace of Westminster and the streets around it, primary legislation is required to limit public demonstrations in Parliament Square.

Such gatherings were banned for many years for public safety reasons. Recently, the laws have been allowed to lapse, permitting a range of protesters to use the square to launch often noisy bombardments at MPs and other residents of the palace.

One self-styled anti-war protester, Brian Haw, has been living among a ramshackle collection of placards and hoardings on the square for more than three years. Defying all attempts to remove him, he regularly uses a megaphone to yell slogans and, from time to time, abuse at the Commons, as well as at pedestrians and passing cars.

While Sir John yesterday accepted that any ban on demonstrations in the square would have to be done "sensitively," and "in a way that enables democracy to operate freely", he said that he was "extremely worried" about security in the area.

"We’re going to have to re-look at our tactics, there’s no doubt about that," the police chief said.

Government officials yesterday signalled that ministers are willing to back a ban on protests. Steeling their resolve was the ordeal of Ann Picking, Labour MP for East Lothian, who was punched in the face as she entered the Commons to vote on Wednesday.

Michael Martin, the Speaker of the Commons, promised to investigate MPs’ personal security after the attack on Ms Picking came to light. Ms Picking, who voted for the ban on hunting south of the Border, said she was "a bit sore" after the surprise assault.

"This guy just said, ‘You’re a f***ing fascist’, and punched me in the face. He didn’t have a placard or badges or anything, but I suppose he was a protester," the MP said yesterday.

"I am feeling a bit sore, but I was more upset than anything else. It came completely out of the blue, and you don’t expect to be assaulted like that right outside Parliament.

"I don’t know if he was a genuine protester or just someone who had latched onto the demonstration because he wanted a scrap, but this sort of thing just should not happen."

Police were yesterday studying CCTV footage from around Parliament for clues to the identity of Ms Picking’s attacker, although the relative lack of security cameras in the area was hampering their search.

Meanwhile, eight men remained in custody after being arrested over the invasion of the Commons chamber. They are being held in a central London police station on suspicion of burglary with intent to commit criminal damage and violent disorder

Otis Ferry, the 21-year-old son of Roxy Music star Bryan Ferry, was among those being held.

So was Luke Tomlinson, an Old Etonian professional polo player who has been on the same team as Prince William, Prince Harry and their father, Prince Charles.

Antony Wakeham, father of Richard Wakeham, another of the men being held, yesterday claimed he had no indication about his son’s plans. "He’s broken the law and he’ll take the consequences. He went into it as all the other lads did, knowing what they were doing, I am sure," the senior Mr Wakeham told Radio Four.

"They should be punished if they are guilty of breaking the law and none of them has probably ever broken it before."

The eight men gained access to the most secure area of the Commons with the help of a parliamentary insider, but police said last night they were no nearer to identifying which of the estimated 14,000 security passholders was responsible.