Category: Civil liberties

Government, the police and intelligence services are too easily given sweeping powers that they too often abuse.

Jenny works with campaigners to defend our civil liberties. She has worked on legislation like the Investigatory Powers Bill, raised the cases of victims of state power such as detained pregnant women, and defended the right to protest.

Crime and Policing Bill Committee Stage Day 1

Published on by jonesjb

Amendment 55A would require the Home Office to publish quarterly data on the issuing of anti-social behaviour orders and related injunctions. Specifically, it would ensure that these reports include the number of occasions when stop and search has been used by the police prior to the issuing of such orders, and the protected characteristics of those who have been issued with them. These powers can have serious and lasting consequences for those subject to them, particularly young people and those from marginalised communities. Yet at present, the public and Parliament have very limited visibility of how these tools are being applied. This would ensure transparency and accountability about how anti-social behaviour powers are being used across England and Wales. Continue reading “Crime and Policing Bill Committee Stage Day 1” →

A hostile environment for home education

Published on by jonesjb

My speech to the House on day 9 of committee stage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill:

I declare an interest as a grandmother of three home-educated children. My experience tells me that school is not suitable for all children. Not all children can find a suitable school and you do not need to be wealthy to create a very rich educational learning environment out of school. Continue reading “A hostile environment for home education” →

Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2025

Published on by jonesjb

Baroness Jenny Jones speech on her Regret Motion:

“There are many reasons why proscribing Palestine Action is a bad idea. Listening to the Minister, I thought that his descriptions of the three organisations had very distinct differences and that the actions of Palestine Action did not appear to have the same calibre of evil as those of the other two. Therefore, collectively organising these three into one SI is perhaps a little bit sneaky of this Government. Palestine Action is not like any other group that the British Government have so far declared a terrorist organisation. I was 12 years on the Met Police Authority and in that time I had lots of anti-terrorist briefings. To me, the actions of Palestine Action do not ring true as terrorist activities. Continue reading “Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2025” →

Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2025

Published on by jonesjb

On Monday I brought a Fatal Motion in an attempt to kill the government’s Statutory Instrument ‘Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2025’. I didn’t in the end put it to a vote as the Lib Dems refused to support it having seen mine and then tabled their own. Instead I voted for the lib Dem Fatal Motion but the Tories sat on their hands and the vote was lost. Continue reading “Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2025” →