The UK government suffered a defeat as it attempted to pass a policing bill that would have restricted protests outside parliament.

Home Secretary Priti Patel's policing bill would crack down on protests in central London outside the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and Whitehall.

The bill deems any demonstration that makes "the passage of a vehicle more difficult" illegal, severely restricting the size of protests in these areas.

Protesters would have been at risk of lengthy prison sentences by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill as actions such as making loud noise could be deemed as "serious annoyance."

However, an amendment protecting ways to organise protests around parliament was passed in the House of Lords on Monday (January 17).

Footage from January 17 shows protesters supporting the Kill the Bill movement gathering in Parliament Square, central London.

The Kill the Bill movement has been strongly opposed to the policing bill and have organised a long series of protests across the UK.

'Kill the Bill' is a movement in the UK in response to the government's proposal of the Policing and Crime Bill. If passed, the Bill would confer upon the MET police widened power to suppress protests, which could result in a massive curtailing of rights in a democracy, including the freedom of speech, of expression and of protest. To stop the law from being passed through the legislature, numerous protests have been held under the slogan 'Kill the Bill' as a demand for the Bill to be dropped.