Big Ben protest: Man climbs Elizabeth Tower with Palestinian flag ahead of rally, refuses to come down

Police have been called to the Palace of Westminster after a man was seen climbing up the building. Video on social media shows a barefoot man stood on a ledge several metres up the Elizabeth Tower holding a Palestinian flag.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "At 7.24am on Saturday March 8 officers were alerted to a man climbing up the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament.

"Officers are at the scene working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion. They are being assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service."

Bridge Street, which is at the north end of Westminster Bridge, has been closed to allow the emergency services to deal with the incident, police confirmed.

In the video, the man can be heard saying: “So I’m currently on the side of Big Ben and I’m really hoping the fire brigade listen to me and don’t come up. I’m safe if they don’t intervene... I’m staying up here”, as he chanted, “Free, Free Palestine.”

This comes ahead of a 1pm protest by pro-Palestinian groups due to take place outside the BBC in Portland Place, which the police said is in close proximity to a nearby synagogue on the Sabbath. Police have issued a warning against the protesters, saying it would be likely to “cause serious disruption to the life of Jewish Londoners attending religious services at that place of worship.”