Environmental protesters blocked The Mall outside Buckingham Palace this morning in a demonstration against the new fossil fuel licences.
Two dozen activists blocked the road as they wore high-vis orange vests and sat in the road holding a Just Stop Oil banner.
The protesters travelled from Scotland and said, they felt the need to act after the UK Government gave its backing in September to an expansion of oil and gas operations in the North Sea.
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) is expected to start a new round of oil and gas licensing this month.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said that could lead to more than 100 new licences being granted, which he claimed could “safeguard” UK energy supplies and support more than 70,000 jobs in Scotland.
However, activist, Emma Brown said the new license as "a death sentence for all of us here."
Brown from Glasgow, said: "We’ve come down because the Government is pressing ahead with over 100 new fossil fuel licences.
“And that is literally a death sentence for all of us here and for all of you.
“So we can’t allow this to continue. We have to have a cut-off somewhere.
“We’ve seen the effects already on our doorstep. We’re seeing the effects all over the globe. And this madness has to stop.”
But the protesters received mixed reactions from passers-by, as one-taxi driver shouted: “F****** load of w******. Go and get a real f****** job.”
A Scottish man on a bicycle gave words of support, telling them: “Go on the protesters, you’re doing great work. Stay strong.”
When a police officer asked how long the protester planned to stay at the scene, one demonstrator replied: “Until we get a new government.”
Officers searched the protesters, some of whom had glued their hands together.
Police told the demonstrators that they intended to clear the road for the changing of the guard on Monday morning.
While some protesters left of their own volition at around 10 am and were taken to a police van, others were physically lifted by officers to different vans.
An officer at the scene confirmed to the PA news agency that some had been arrested.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here