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A new law which is currently making its way through Parliament is so far-reaching that it could lead to Christian street preachers being banned.

The bill, called the Police Crime and Sentencing Bill, is being driven by the Tory government in response mainly to the Extinction Rebellion protests of 2019, and the disruption they brought to London.

Despite growing opposition to the bill from activist groups in society and Labour-led attempts to derail it, it comfortably passed its second stage in the Commons thanks to the dominance of the Conservatives in the chamber.

Although the bill’s scope is limited to England, Mr Robinson said laws created in England are often “predictive” of laws which the devolved regions later enact.

Part three of the bill amends the Public Order Act 1986 so police can impose conditions on protests that are noisy enough to cause “intimidation or harassment” or “serious unease, alarm or distress” to bystanders, including protests consisting of one person.

It would also abolish the common law offence of public nuisance and replace it with a statutory offence of “intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance”.

Mr Robinson said the scope of the new law is “incredibly loose”.

“The ability of the police to curtail what is an Article 11 right within the Human Rights Act, the ability to assemble and protest, is really quite extraordinary.