Del Somerville appeared in court on 12 September 2026 charged with violent disorder over the Portsmouth protest at Eastney of 6 September, and Hampshire Police later charged more men, as reported by The Guardian and BBC News; the police news page itself was blocked and could not be read.
The charges market resolves on statements from Kent Police, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary or the Crown Prosecution Service, checked on 9 October 2026. It resolves YES if at least one person has been charged with an offence arising from the Dover protest of 5 September or the Portsmouth protest of 6 September; arrests or interviews without a charge resolve NO. If no force or CPS statement is published, BBC News and Guardian reports settle it.
Since 2011 we found six times a Home Secretary did this. Each one publicly stepped into a live wave of protests to tell police forces to use the powers they already had. We asked whether ministers announced new or wider police powers, or ordered a formal review of protest policing, within the next 30 days.