Militant Just Stop Oil activists are plotting a sinister nationwide blitz to ‘occupy’ MPs’ homes ahead of the General Election, a Mail on Sunday investigation has found.
Hardcore eco-zealots are also planning to target politicians’ offices and disrupt speeches and party conferences in a chilling campaign of intimidation and harassment that strikes at the heart of the democratic process.
Protesters describe their plans as a ‘total departure’ from previous operations, and told an undercover reporter they were ready to look a ‘bit loony’ in their flagrant attempt to ‘get attention’ for their cause.
The revelation comes amid growing fears for the safety of MPs, who are facing violent threats and virulent attacks on social media. Tory politician Mike Freer is standing down after death threats culminated in a suspected arson attack on his office and last week Rishi Sunak condemned an ‘aggressive’ 100-strong mob of pro-Palestinian protesters who targeted Tobias Ellwood’s Dorset family home, branding him a ‘war criminal’.
The Just Stop Oil action is being partly orchestrated by Phoebe Plummer, the privately educated ‘poster girl’ of Just Stop Oil. It is unclear whether the activists intend to get inside MPs’ houses or instead lay siege to them, as in Mr Ellwood’s case. But the planned action represents a significant stepping up of operations, directly targeting MPs.
Sixteen Just Stop Oil members were arrested late last year after staging a disruptive demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s home in Kensington, West London. Police also moved on a group of protesters who gathered outside Sir Keir Starmer’s family home to sing Christmas carols with a climate change message.
But an undercover Mail on Sunday investigation has discovered those stunts were just an ‘experiment’ for a new wave of intimidating direct action.
Speaking to a reporter posing as a new recruit, one Just Stop Oil activist called Joe explained: ‘What our strategy is, at least in the short-term, is that we’re going to be occupying Labour MPs’ offices, their houses, disrupting their speeches, etc.
‘So that’s kind of what taking action with Just Stop Oil looks like for the short term. We’re not going to be doing what we’ve been doing previously which is marching on the roads. There’s been a change of direction. The target is Labour MPs.’
But he also said they ‘might just be targeting Tories’ too.
Last year Sir Keir enraged activists when he said a Labour Government would not tear up the 100 new drilling licences granted by the Conservatives to explore North Sea oil and gas fields. And this month he slashed Labour’s green investment plans over concerns about their staggering cost.
Joe said: ‘There’s going to be an Election this year. Labour are probably the incoming government. And our demand is that they get rid of the oil and gas licences that the Tories have granted.
‘Activists involved in targeting MPs would be required to first take part in ‘non-violence’ training. We’re committed to non-violent civil disobedience in the footsteps of like Martin Luther King, Gandhi, etc etc.’
In a call with another activist called Alex, the undercover reporter was told: ‘This next phase is a total departure from the last two or three. The idea is to shift the focus back to the political arena, on to Labour’s hypocrisy and the craven evil of the Conservatives.
‘What this is going to mean is probably… bothering politicians, interrupting speeches, interrupting party conferences, and being a bit shouty. Some of this was experimented in the last phase – called ‘wide awake actions’ – so there was carolling outside Rishi Sunak’s house, at one of his residences. This is going to happen across the UK.’
In earlier Zoom meetings, group leaders described how a Just Stop Oil team would ‘go on recces’ before targeting MPs – a strategy they boasted was ‘brilliant’.
Ms Plummer later sent the undercover reporter a message saying: ‘Thank you for signing up to take action with us’ with a smiley-face emoji. She added: ‘Just wanted to confirm that you’re aware this means signing up to risk arrest?’
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: ‘I give full credit to The Mail on Sunday’s team for this brilliant piece of journalism which has exposed how Just Stop Oil fanatics plan to threaten, intimidate and harass MPs from all parties in the run-up to the Election.
‘There can be no quarter given to this militant mob and I am confident the police will take the necessary action to prevent any more of their mindless disruption.’
Mr Ellwood warned that intimidating MPs and targeting their homes would deter decent people from all parties wanting to become politicians.
‘Already we are seeing the brightest and best dismiss the thought of stepping into the public domain,’ he said. ‘Unless we offer some clear boundaries in how protests are conducted, British politics will suffer considerably. That’s bad for our nation as a whole.’
A Just Stop Oil spokesman accused the MoS of getting ‘in a tizz’ about ‘ordinary people taking the power back.’
He added: ‘Non-violence is the foundation of all Just Stop Oil actions. This is democracy in action – the public don’t want new oil and gas, so Labour MPs who wish to represent the public must commit to ending it.’
Last year, this newspaper ‘saved’ the Grand National by alerting police to a plot by the activist group Animal Rising to halt the race by storming the Aintree racecourse.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
