Section 5 of the Public Order Act
On 14 Jan 2013, the Government agreed to reform Section 5 of the Public Order Act to give more protection to free speech.
The Christian Institute spearheaded the Reform Section 5 campaign to get the word ‘insulting’ removed from Section 5 of the Public Order Act, as part of the Crime and Courts Bill.
After a lengthy campaign, which included support from celebrities including Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry, the then Home Secretary Theresa May eventually agreed. The change is now incorporated in Section 57 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 which came into force on 1 February 2014.
The amendment to the law was put forward by Lord Dear, a former HM Inspector of Constabulary, and when discussed in the House of Lords, peers voted by 150 to 54 in favour of the change.
