A former Labour minister is facing calls to be banned from Parliament today after boasting of breaking lockdown rules to join anti-racism protests in London.
Barry Gardiner posted video from the Black Lives Matter demonstration in Westminster last night.
His presence among the thousands of people protesting the murder of black American George Floyd came as coronavirus guidelines tell the public to avoid gatherings of more than six people, who are socially distanced.
Mr Gardiner, a junior trade minister under Gordon Brown and a leading figure of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow Cabinet until April, dismissed fears he could carry infection into Westminster by telling critics he ‘tested negative this week’.
In a tweet sent earlier on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Gardiner said: ‘Been social distancing since March. Today I broke it to join the #BlackLivesMattter demo outside Parliament and take a knee with thousands of brave young people calling for Justice.’
It came as Business Minister Alok Sharma was being tested for coronavirus, raising fears over the potential spread of the vuirus among politicians who have returned to Westminster this week.
Tory Imran Ahman Khan said Mr Gardiner had ‘fragrantly flouted the law’ and should be prevented from returning to the Commons until after a period of isolation.
Barry Gardiner posted video from the Black Lives Matter demonstration in Westminster last night and dismissed fears he could carry infection into Westminster by telling critics he ‘tested negative this week’
Tory Imran Ahman Khan said Mr Gardiner (pictured) had ‘fragrantly flouted the law’ and should be prevented from returning to the Commons until after a period of isolation
Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing said MPs who took part ‘have put themselves at risk’ and ‘should act responsibly’.
At least 15,000 Black Lives Matter protesters including actor John Boyega and singer Liam Payne gathered in London on Wednesday, ignoring social distancing guidelines, as a show of anger against the death of Mr Floyd in the US.
Though that protest dissipated by the evening, around 200 people, many in masks, remained close to Downing Street after the peaceful protesters had departed.
Two officers who were in a police van close to Downing Street came under attack shortly after 9.30pm with attempts made to damage the vehicle.
However, police in riot gear were called upon and managed to stop the attack which resulted in a tense stand-off. At least 13 people were arrested, police said.
Some pulled down a line of temporary barriers outside Downing Street, while plastic and glass bottles were thrown at the metal gates outside No 10.
Footage also showed police officers retreating as they were followed by angry demonstrators in Westminster.
A crowd of protesters pushed a line of police into Parliament Square, as bottles were thrown in the direction of officers.
Another crowd then followed a group of officers to outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where protesters shouted ‘answer for your crimes’ and ‘no justice, no peace’.
The protests throughout the day were mostly peaceful but nightfall saw clashes between demonstrators and riot police near Downing Street
Police officers in riot helmets reacts as protesters attempt to stop a police van leaving during the aftermath of yesterday’s protest
Officers are surrounded by angry protesters this evening in Westminster, after a day of Black Lives Matter demonstrations across London
Raising a point of order in the Commons, Mr Khan (Wakefield) said: ‘It has come to my notice that certain members of this House, including well-known members such as the member for Brent North (Barry Gardiner), have fragrantly flouted the law and have joined the protests outside, breaking – in fact boasting that they have broken – social distancing measures.
‘I feel that we are going to be placed at risk when there has been such advertised and self-publicised breaking of the law and vectors of the disease that we are fighting, and that this Government is fighting, will be, if he returns to this House, a vector of the disease will be allowed access to spread amongst the hard-working staff here.
‘Are there measures in order to make such members who have flouted the law and are now possibly more likely to be contagious or indeed infected by the disease to be prevented from rejoining this House until they have undergone a period of self-isolation to ensure that we do not suffer a threat because of their aberrant behaviour?’
Dame Eleanor told MPs that Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle ‘has gone to a great deal of effort to make sure that members and staff working here are protected’.
She added: ‘If any member of this House is openly flouting the rules which we have asked every citizen of the United Kingdom to observe in order to keep this virus under control and to protect the vulnerable and to protect the NHS, then that member is putting not only himself or herself at risk, but is putting everyone else at risk as well.
‘I hope that the facts are not as he has stated them, but if it transpires that the facts are as he has stated them then it should be incumbent upon anyone coming into this building, if they know that they have put themselves at risk of contracting or passing on the virus, that they should act responsibly.’