What is Insulate Britain and why is protest group blocking the M25?

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We can do that now in an orderly, planned way, insulating homes and preventing thousands of deaths from fuel poverty or we can wait until millions have lost their homes and are fighting for water or starving to death.” Insulate Britain has become infamous for its “campaign of civil resistance” in recent months, which has seen its members blockade busy roads in and around the capital, from the M25 to Old Street roundabout, the Blackwall Tunnel and Wandsworth Bridge, to draw attention to perceived inaction and insincerity on green issues from Boris Johnson’s Cabinet. But the group announced on 14 October that it would be briefly pausing its activities in the run-up to the crucial Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in an open letter to Mr Johnson, announcing a 10-day cessation until 25 October in order to allow the prime minister time “to make a meaningful statement that we can trust… that your government will take the lead needed to insulate and retrofit our homes”. The prime minister had previously dismissed Insulate Britain activists as “irresponsible crusties” during an interview with LBC and did not take the opportunity they presented, prompting the swift resumption of their protests. Transport for London was meanwhile granted a High Court injunction to stop the environmentalists from obstructing traffic on 8 October, with a spokesman saying: “This will help to protect London’s road network and everybody using it.” Supporting the move, London mayor Sadiq Khan’s office said: “The mayor passionately believes in the right to protest, but it must always be done peacefully, safely and within the law.” But Insulate Britain has so far stood fast, insisting its approach is both effective and justified.