Two arrested after mob surrounds Keir Starmer in London

Videos posted online of the incident this evening showed anti-vaccine protesters shouting "traitor" at Sir Keir and accusing of him "protecting paedophiles" in an apparent reference to the recently discredited claim by Boris Johnson that the Labour leader had "spent most of his time... failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile" when he was in charge of the CPS.

Police had to bundle Labour leader Sir Keir into a car as the group followed him and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy from outside Scotland Yard.

A Metropolitan Police statement said: “Shortly after 5.10pm on Monday, February 7, a man who had been surrounded by a group of protesters near to New Scotland Yard, was taken away from the scene by a police car.

“A man and a woman were arrested at the scene for assault of an emergency worker after a traffic cone was thrown at a police officer.

“They have been taken into custody.”

Protesters were seen displaying signs opposing mandatory vaccination and the use of restrictions to prevent Covid-19 deaths.

Footage posted to social media showed Piers Corbyn, the Covid-19 conspiracy theorist brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, addressing the crowd before the incident and later leading chants of “resist, defy, do not comply”.

Video showed Sir Keir, surrounded by police, being followed down the street while being targeted with shouts of “why aren’t you opposing?” and “traitor”.

“Why did you go after Julian Assange, why did you go after journalists?” one man shouted.

It was understood Sir Keir was not harmed during the incident.

After he was taken to safety, an officer was called a “pathetic little thug” during angry exchanges.

Yorkshire Conservative MP and former Cabinet Minister Julian Smith, who spoke out last week against Mr Johnson making the Savile claim, said on Twitter: "What happened to Keir Starmer tonight outside parliament is appalling. It is really important for our democracy & for his security that the false Savile slurs made against him are withdrawn in full."

Last Thursday, Mr Johnson issued a clarification of the remarks but did not apologise for what he had said - a stance that led to the resignation of Munira Mirza, the director of the Downing Street policy unit.

Mr Lammy said of tonight's incident: "No surprise the conspiracy theorist thugs who harassed Keir Starmer and I repeated slurs we heard from Boris Johnson last week at the despatch box.

"Intimidation, harassment and lies have no place in our democracy. And they won't ever stop me doing my job."