‘We’ll be hated, but it will stir things up’: Insulate Britain on what happened next – and being right all along

Their sit-down protests caused chaos on roads and made them a target for tabloid ire and drivers’ fury. Then an energy crisis hit – and now the government is playing catchup as we shiver in our draughty homes

Shortly before 8am on 13 September 2021, 92 people gathered in small groups at five junctions along the M25, the busy motorway that encircles most of Greater London. It was a warm day and adrenaline ran high.

Cameron Ford, a 31-year-old carpenter, was at junction 3, in Kent. The protesters gathered at the side of the road and prepared for the crucial moment. They did a group meditation on a grassy layby, rush-hour traffic roaring in the background. Louise Lancaster, a 56-year-old teacher with sharp blue eyes, was at junction 31, in Essex. They had amassed in a car park, and everyone took turns running into a nearby shopping centre to use the toilet. David Nixon, a 36-year-old care worker from Yorkshire, had woken early that morning feeling sick. As the group huddled together at junction 14, in Surrey, he found himself completely overwhelmed.