THE Prime Minister has confirmed that the policing Bill will be brought back to Parliament, with new powers to crack down on protest to feature in the Queen’s Speech. 

The new law designed to hand police greater powers to shut down peaceful protest was shelved earlier in the year after it sparked nationwide demonstrations.

But Downing Street officials crushed hopes that the Bill would be thrown out, confirming it will feature in the Queen’s Speech tomorrow, when ministers lay out their legislative agenda for the upcoming year. 

The Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill would see noise limits imposed on protest and the creation of new penalties against demonstrators, including making it a criminal offence to “cause serious annoyance.”

Critics have described the new powers as draconian. 

Ministers are also refusing to back down on widely condemned proposals to overhaul the asylum system set to be included in Tuesday’s speech. 

Home Secretary Priti Patel is pressing ahead with the plans despite warnings at the weekend from the United Nations refugee agency that they risk breaching international law. 

As part of the proposals, asylum-seekers who enter the country via “illegal” routes will have their claims ruled inadmissible and deported to a “safe third country.” 

However, the Home Office has not been able to persuade any European countries to accept deported refugees under the scheme, according to an Observer newspaper report. 

The Law Society warned last week that the proposals pose a serious risk to the rule of law and access to justice. 

The government’s new legislative programme has also been slammed for failing to include commitments to deliver reforms on social care. While PM Boris Johnson is expected to promise extra funds to help the NHS recover after the pandemic, rumours suggest that extra cash for social care promised in 2019 will not be tabled in a Bill in the 2021-22 parliamentary session. 

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “The test of whether this Queen’s Speech genuinely delivers for the people of Britain is if it brings forward a proper rescue plan for the NHS and delivers a social care solution as Boris Johnson promised … almost two years ago.”

The Queen’s Speech will be scaled back this year due to coronavirus restrictions, with fewer MPs and peers attending the ceremony in the House of Lords.