The first of numerous Insulate Britain activists on trial have just been spared jail

Two Insulate Britain supporters were given suspended sentences at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday 12 November for taking part in Insulate Britain’s 2021 campaign of nonviolent civil resistance demanding the UK government insulate Britain’s cold and leaky homes. A campaign that was later called prescient by a number of commentators.

Insulate Britain: spared jail

Biff Whipster and Andrew Worlsey, who had each previously entered two guilty pleas in respect of three different actions during the campaign were given sentences of eight months, suspended for one year and ordered to pay costs of £156.

They had both participated in a roadblock at Junction 14, M25 Poyle Interchange on 27 September 2021. Biff Whipster had also joined a roadblock at Upper Thames Street on 25 October 2021 and Andrew Worsley had joined a roadblock on the M4 near Heathrow on 1 October 2021.

During the hearing Judge Grout confirmed that he had read a letter that Biff Whipster had sent to the court explaining his reasons for changing his plea. The letter said that Biff had no regrets for taking part in the campaign and that he had viewed taking action with Insulate Britain as:

a once in a lifetime chance to do the right thing and achieve much more than I would ever be able to do as an individual in the face of this existential crisis engulfing us.

The judicial system is broken

Biff wrote that he had joined Insulate Britain:

After carefully considering the science and the life-ending chaos that will occur on the trajectory we are on; because in the run up to COP26 there was a slim chance such protests could have worked. I considered that if Insulate Britain failed to influence COP26 then I would at least get to speak in court in front of those who work for our judicial system and who therefore, I thought, maintained a critical and pivotal position as our ‘check and balance’ against perverse political leadership.

Before I set out on this journey I’d trusted that the judicial system would, in due course, turn the spotlight towards the bigger criminals: such as those in Westminster, and the lobbyists, and all those in greed-fuelled, tax dodging, boardrooms up and down the country who are complicit in putting profit ahead of a liveable planet.

I was naive… I’ve now learned first hand that the law isn’t designed to, and therefore isn’t ‘fit for purpose’ to, protect our futures in the face of this crisis

Judge Grout asked if Biff had any plans to protest again, to which Biff replied:

I can’t say in 10 years time, when we’re all fighting for food in supermarkets, what I’ll be doing. Even people in this courtroom might be fighting too… but at this point in time I’m not planning anything.

Multiple actions in 2021

52 people joined the action on 27 September 2021 on the M25:

Many of them face trial in the coming weeks at Woolwich Crown Court.

Several Insulate Britain activists have already faced trial for the M4 roadblock on 1 October 2021. Steve Pritchard was jailed for five weeks for his part in the action and his refusal to stop taking part in disruptive action, as a matter of conscience:

The actions on 25 October 2021 involved 61 activists blocking roads at three London locations – Upper Thames Street, Bishopsgate and Limehouse Causeway – and marked the resumption of the campaign after a 10 day break:

It resulted in 53 arrests.

Later that day, the then-transport secretary Grant Shapps announced that National Highways had obtained an interim court injunction to ban protest activities that obstruct traffic, under threat of imprisonment and unlimited fines. This was, of course, directed at Insulate Britain.

Insulate Britain trials continue

In the 21 Insulate Britain jury trials for public nuisance charges to date, four trials have resulted in a hung jury, two trials have resulted in acquittals, twelve have resulted in a guilty verdict and three have been deferred. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has applied for retrials in the three cases where the jury failed to reach a majority verdict.

The CPS has chosen to summon a total of 56 supporters to answer at least 201 charges of public nuisance across some 45 jury trials, with additional retrials planned up to June 2025. These trials have been heard across Inner London, Hove, Lewes, Reading, and now Woolwich Crown Courts.

Featured image and additional images via Insulate Britain