Despite a humiliating High Court ruling declaring her ban on Palestine Action "unlawful and disproportionate," Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has doubled down, insisting she acted on "significant evidence" of terrorism risks.

A major legal and political storm has engulfed the UK government after the High Court quashed the proscription of the activist group Palestine Action. The court ruled that the ban, implemented by Yvette Cooper during her tenure as Home Secretary, was "disproportionate" and failed to distinguish between criminal protest and terrorism. Yet, in a defiant media round this Sunday, Cooper—now the Foreign Secretary—refused to concede ground. "I followed the clear advice and recommendations... involving different agencies," she told Sky News, asserting that the group had "promoted violence" and crossed the line into terrorism.

The ruling is a significant blow to the Labour government's security credentials. The court found that Cooper did not follow her own policies and that the majority of Palestine Action's activities—such as occupying factories and spraying red paint—did not meet the high threshold of "terrorism" under the 2000 Act. The decision has vindicated civil liberties groups who argued the ban was a draconian overreach designed to shield Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems from scrutiny.

The Implications of "Unlawful"

The legal defeat leaves the government in a precarious position.

• The Appeals Process: The government has vowed to appeal, meaning the ban remains technically in place pending the final outcome. However, police enforcement is now in limbo. The Met Police have signaled they will stop arresting people for merely holding pro-Palestine Action placards.
• Civil Liberties vs. Security: The case sets a precedent on how the state can define "terrorism." By blurring the lines between direct action (vandalism) and terror (threat to life), Cooper attempted to expand the state's coercive power. The court has pushed back.
• Political Fallout: Left-wing factions within Labour and external groups are calling for Cooper's resignation. "If you break the law to ban a protest group, you are not fit to hold high office," said a spokesperson for Stop the War.

For Yvette Cooper, the defense is simple: public safety trumps procedural niceties. "If you ignore advice... about risks to public safety then you're really not taking seriously the responsibilities," she argued. But the High Court's judgment suggests that in her zeal to be tough on security, she trampled on the fundamental right to protest.