Church suspends camp legal action

St Paul’s Cathedral is suspending its legal action against an anti-capitalist protest camp outside the church.

A cathedral spokesman said it intended to “engage directly and constructively” with the protesters “without the threat of forcible eviction”.

It said the investment banker Ken Costa would head an initiative “reconnecting the financial with the ethical”.

The City of London Corporation has said it plans to issue eviction letters to the protesters.

Occupy London Stock Exchange said it was preparing to respond.

‘Corporate greed’

The cathedral’s authorities made the decision after a meeting with the bishop.

The camp has been outside the cathedral since 15 October. People taking part have said they are protesting against inequality and corporate greed in the City.

The church partly reopened on Friday after deciding to close on health and safety grounds as a result of the protest camp.

Dr Chartres said he was looking after the issue of the camp following the resignation of the Dean of St Paul’s, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, on Monday.

The cathedral said members of the Chapter of St Paul’s met with representatives from the camp on Tuesday morning.

A spokesman said: “It is being widely reported that the Corporation of London plans to ask protesters to leave imminently.

“The Chapter of course recognises the Corporation’s right to take such action on Corporation land.”

The spokesman said Mr Costa, a former chairman of UBS Europe, would work with City, Church, public figures and the former Canon Chancellor Giles Fraser, who would aim to represent the views of the protesters.

Dr Chartres said: “The alarm bells are ringing all over the world. St Paul’s has now heard that call.

“Today’s decision means that the doors are most emphatically open to engage with matters concerning not only those encamped around the Cathedral but millions of others in this country and around the globe.

“I am delighted that Ken Costa has agreed to spearhead this new initiative which has the opportunity to make a profound difference.”

On Friday, St Paul’s and the City of London Corporation announced they would try to obtain separate High Court injunctions to clear the 200-tent Occupy London camp.

But a spokesman for the cathedral had said it was not taking joint action with the local authority, adding that it was committed to a “peaceful resolution at all costs”.

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