Amid controversy over a small number of protesters being removed by police or arrested, the Labor leader told BBC Breakfast that the right to protest and dissent was a British tradition but called for it to be done “in a spirit of respect”. “Respect the fact that hundreds of thousands of people want to come forward and live this moment. Don’t ruin it for them,” he said. “The word I would use around this is respect,” he said. “I think if people have spent a long time waiting to come forward to have that moment as the casket goes by or whatever it may be, I think you should respect that, because people have made a huge effort to come and have this personal moment to say thank you to Queen Elizabeth II.” Starmer’s call for respect comes as the Republic campaign group wrote to police forces to raise concerns about arrests of anti-monarchy protesters in recent days and to warn that it expects pre-coronation protests to be allowed to proceed peacefully. The National Council of Police Chiefs said it issued advice to forces on Tuesday. A spokesman said: “We know that some people want to protest about a range of issues during this period of national mourning and officers need to balance those rights with those who wish to grieve and reflect. We have issued guidance to forces on how they should do this in order to ensure a national consistency of approach.” Civil liberties groups and MPs also expressed concern as activists gathered on Tuesday opposite Edinburgh Cathedral where the Queen’s coffin lay, holding white sheets of paper, a white banner and saying they were defending their right to protest. Scotland Yard was asked on Monday night to issue a statement saying it was “making it clear to officers that the public have every right to protest” after a lawyer and campaigner tweeted video of him being threatened with arrest in Westminster’s Parliament Square if he kept a notice that said, “Not my king.” Alongside the protests, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to queue to see the Queen’s coffin lie in state at Westminster Hall from Wednesday afternoon until her funeral on Monday. Starmer revealed he would be part of the reception gathering when the Queen’s coffin arrives at Westminster Hall and would later return to pay his respects privately accompanied by his family. He told BBC Breakfast: “I will be there today as part of the reception committee to receive the coffin. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “Then later this afternoon in a private capacity because my wife and our children… want to come and as a family we will pay our personal respects to a worthy sovereign.” He also spoke of how the country’s response to the Queen’s death had been “very moving”. “It’s a very human feeling, I think, where people just want to come, have that private moment where they say thank you to a remarkable sovereign,” Starmer said. “I think it was very emotional across the country. It was an incredible moment where so many people came together.”
