CAMPAIGN groups have criticised plans by the government to remove an exemption for “Covid-secure” protests during the new coronavirus lockdown starting on Thursday.

The Home Office has not explicitly banned protests in its new regulations for England’s second national lockdown, but removal of the previous exemption will make organising lawful large-scale protests almost impossible.

Protests such as those led by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) UK movement and Extinction Rebellion, and those by anti-lockdown campaigners, have taken place since the pandemic broke out earlier this year.