Two arrested after Keir Starmer ambushed by protesters outside Westminster

There were angry clashes with police after Sir Keir was escorted into a police car on the Victoria Embankment shortly after 5pm.

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 is 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.

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

The Metropolitan Police confirmed two people have been arrested following the incident.

A statement from the force read: "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.”

Tory MP Julian Smith said Boris Johnson must now withdraw the remarks he made about him last week in the commons.

He tweeted: “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 It is really important for our democracy & for his security that the false Savile slurs made against him are withdrawn in full.”

Deputy Commons speaker Dame Eleanor Laing also lent her support to Mr Starmer on social media, saying: "Tonight, the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer and the Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, were mobbed outside @UKParliament.

"This is unacceptable. Period. Elected representatives must be able to go about their work without the fear of verbal or physical attacks."

Senior Tory MP Sir Roger Gale has demanded that Boris Johnson makes an apology in the Commons to Sir Keir.

Sir Roger said: “I think it’s absolutely disgraceful the way he was treated, any member of Parliament has the right to go about their lawful business without being intimidated. I fear that this is the result of deliberately careless speech in the Chamber.

“I mean the accusations about Jimmy Savile. It should not have been said and the Prime Minister was warned against it, chose to ignore the advice he was offered…

“It has, I’m afraid, played into the hands of some rather unpleasant people.

“I think what he ought to do is to go to the despatch box tomorrow to condemn the way Keir was treated and apologise.

“If it was me I would say, ‘I absolutely condemn the way you were treated, I think this is quite disgraceful, no member of Parliament should be subjected to this sort of treatment and insofar as this may have been caused by any remarks of mine in the chamber I can only apologise’.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the abuse hurled at Sir Keir Starmer outside Parliament is “completely unacceptable”.

Commenting on the incident, Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter: "The behaviour directed at the Leader of the Opposition tonight is absolutely disgraceful.

"All forms of harassment of our elected representatives are completely unacceptable. I thank the police for responding swiftly."

Nicola Sturgeon has said the if the Prime Minister “has any decency at all” he would say sorry for “choosing to weaponise online conspiracy theories against opponents”.

The First Minister tweeted on Monday: “Any politician choosing to weaponise online conspiracy theories against opponents knows fine well that they risk stirring up the kind of hate and abuse that Keir Starmer experienced today.

“If he has any decency at all, the PM will now apologise unreservedly.”