Insulate Britain: We have failed but we'll be back with 'bigger' protests

7 February 2022, 10:32 | Updated: 7 February 2022, 11:03

Insulate Britain have admitted they have "failed" after a string of disruptive protests last year
Insulate Britain have admitted they have "failed" after a string of disruptive protests last year. Picture: Alamy

By Daisy Stephens

Insulate Britain activists said they have "failed" but are planning to return with an "even more ambitious" campaign.

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The group, which orchestrated a number of protest roadblocks on the M25 and other key roads in 2021, said on Monday they are "just getting started" as they promised to continue demonstrating.

After a number of activists were handed prison sentences after breaching injunctions, the environmental campaign group said in a statement: "It is with an extremely heavy heart that today we have to announce that as Insulate Britain we have failed.

"We failed to move our irresponsible Government to take meaningful action to prevent thousands of us from dying in our cold homes during the energy price crisis.

Read more: Two months of chaos: A timeline of Insulate Britain's disruptive protests

Read more: Exclusive: Eco protester reveals he got hero's welcome in jail and would do it all again

"We have failed to make this heartless Government put its people over profit and insulate our homes to do our part in lowering the UK's emissions.

"We have failed to encourage our Government to get up from their drinks parties, go to their desk and get on with the job.

"And we failed in getting enough of you to join us on the roads to hold this treasonous and corrupt Government to account."

Insulate Britain protesters glue themselves down outside High Court

Insulate Britain blocked roads several times between September 13 and November 20 2021.

The group said its mission was to urge the Government to insulate all of Britain's homes by 2030 to cut carbon emissions.

"We will continue our campaign of civil resistance because we only have the next two to three years to sort it out and prevent us completely failing our children and hitting climate tipping points we cannot control," the group added.

"Now we must accept that we have lost another year, so our next campaign of civil resistance against the betrayal of this country must be even more ambitious.

Read more: M25 closure: Who are Insulate Britain and what were they protesting?

Read more: 'Whatever it takes': Freed eco activist vows to carry on protests after leaving jail

"More of us must take a stand. More of you need to join us. We don't get to be bystanders. We either act against evil or we participate in it.

"We haven't gone away. We're just getting started."

Dominic Raab: Insulate Britain isn't peaceful protest it's sabotage

Insulate Britain staged around 30 protests up and down the country in the second half of 2021, blocking major roads including the M25 to pressure the Government into insulating Britain's social housing stock.

The Government responded with several injunctions, banning the activists from Britain's highways.

A number of protesters were jailed for breaching the injunctions.

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