London protests live: Nine arrests after police assaulted at Tommy Robinson march attended by 110,000

Keir Starmer was spotted at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday, as violent clashes broke out between police and demonstrators in the centre of the city.

The prime minister and his son were seen in the stands watching his favourite football team Arsenal play against Nottingham Forest in a Premier League match.

More than a hundred helmeted officers on foot, backed up by dozens of police horses, have rushed at Tommy Robinson supporters – backing them along Northumberland Avenue and towards Embankment station.

The horses moved at speed down the road at around 5.45pm.

Some protesters – now largely dispersed – faced them carrying flags.

Further scuffles are taking place between police and Tommy Robinson supporters as they move the group out of Whitehall.

Objects including a traffic cone, bottles and pieces of wood were thrown at the line of officers as they started to push the group back towards Trafalgar Square and Northumberland Avenue at around 5.25pm.

Earlier, one man shouted “this is what England has become” as he was handcuffed at the front of the crowd of Tommy Robinson supporters.

Officers rushed him to the side of Whitehall where he was detained and then walked, bent-double, to a police van.

Mr Musk, continuing to talk to the crowd via a video link, says a “dissolution of Parliament” and a “change of government” is needed in the UK.

He said: “I really think that there’s got to be a change of government in Britain. You can’t – we don’t have another four years, or whenever the next election is, it’s too long.

“Something’s got to be done. There’s got to be a dissolution of Parliament and a new vote held.”

On a video link, X owner Elon Musk has told protesters that “the left are the party of murder”, referring to the death of Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing political activist, was killed during a speech at Utah Valley University last week.

Mr Musk told the rally: “There’s so much violence on the left, with our friend Charlie Kirk getting murdered in cold blood this week and people on the left celebrating it openly.

“The left is the party of murder and celebrating murder. I mean, let that sink in for a minute, that’s who we’re dealing with here.”

Met Police has just issued an update on its operation to police Tommy Robinson’s ‘United the kingdom’ march.

It said the rally was too big to fit into Whitehall, which mean some protesters left the route into Victoria Embankment, and sought access through other ways.

When officers moved in, the force said, they were faced with “unacceptable violence.”

A spokesperson said: “They were assaulted with kicks and punches. Bottles, flares and other projectiles were thrown.

“Nine arrests have been made so far for various offences, but many more people have been identified as committing offences. We will find them and they will face police action, even if it is not possible to do so today.

“Officers are continuing to face aggression in multiple locations, in particular at the north of Whitehall as they work to create a safe exit route for those who have been taking part in the Stand Up To Racism protest.”

Met Police has more than 1,000 officers, with some recruited from other forces, to police today’s protests in London.

The force has been provided updates on its social media page, including video and pictures.

As those attending the ‘Unite the kingdom’ march meet anti-racism counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism (SUTR), the Met Police has said: “We continue to see significant aggression directed at officers by Unite the Kingdom protesters.

“We have deployed additional officers with protective equipment in multiple locations, supported by police horses, to deal with the disorder.”

Police have taken out their batons as they continued to try to push back thousands of Tommy Robinson supporters gathered on the top of Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, where a counter-protest is taking place nearby.

Beer cans were thrown and an officer was seen trying to stamp out a flare in the metres-wide gap between the two protest groups on Whitehall.

Pro-Robinson demonstrators repeatedly clashed with police during the efforts to move them away from the Stand Up to Racism crowd.

Drinks cans have been thrown by Tommy Robinson protesters towards anti-fascist counter-demonstrators as thousands from both sides stared each other down on Whitehall.

A line of police horses faced the sea of Union flags that stretched from the end of Whitehall to the top of Trafalgar Square.

At one point a glass bottle appeared to smash against a police horse, causing the horse and rider to stagger backwards.

A stick was seen being thrown from the Stand Up to Racism side, with only metres between the two crowds.

A Stand Up to Racism speaker reiterated from the stage that stewards were working to find a safe route for protesters to exit Whitehall, as Robinson supporters had congregated on each adjoining road.

Political figures have today been responding to the crowds turning up for the march in London.

Minister Torsten Bell has said that the numbers who turned out for the march were “far more than I’d like but dwarfed by the millions that understand real patriotism means loving your country as it actually is, not hating its diversity or trying to exploit its challenges.

“That’s what our flags actually represent.”