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Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

I shall give way shortly, but I want to make progress on this point. The hon. Gentleman can rest assured that he will have an opportunity to intervene on me before I finish. Lord Lester made it clear in his speech on Third Reading in the other place that reinstating ““abusive and insulting”” would ensure that the offence was compatible with other public order legislation. The term ““threatening, abusive and insulting”” is an established legal concept that the courts are more than familiar with interpreting. To exclude any element of it would leave the courts unclear about Parliament’s intentions. What is more, the words ““abusive and insulting”” are included in the freedom of expression clause relating to religion and religious practices. We have therefore made it clear that the terms used in relation to the offence relate to the stirring up of hatred against people, not against belief.