A Conservative MP has warned that the acquittal of protestors who toppled a statue of Edward Colston in Bristol could “set a dangerous precedent”.

The protestors, nicknamed “the Colston Four” walked free yesterday after a jury decided they had not acted criminally by rolling the statue into a harbour in June 2020.

Tom Hunt, the MP for Ipswich told the Common earlier todays: “There are legal and democratic processes available if you wish for a certain statue to be removed.

“It is totally wrong and it clearly amounts to criminal damage to take matters into your own hands and to remove any statue you see fit.”

“I believe the verdict of the jury sets a dangerous precedent and could essentially lead to political activists ransacking statues up and down the country with impunity, regardless of what the majority think,” he argued.

However, Mr Hunt affirmed his belief in the role of trial by jury, saying: “There is clearly a specific issue here. It doesn’t mean I want to abolish juries.

“If you commit criminal damage and break the law you should be punished. No ifs, no buts.

“I and colleagues will be discussing with ministers a way to ensure this sort of verdict never happens again.”

The leader of the House of Common, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has claimed the decision to acquit the Black Lives Matter activists “does not set a precedent”.

Mr Hunt, the vice-chairman of the Common Sense Group of Conservative MPs, also stressed his points in an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper, stating: “If you’ve broken the law and committed criminal damage you should be punished. If the jury is a barrier to ensuring they are punished then that needs to be addressed.”