Sarah Everard vigil: Arrests as protesters march through central London

Home secretary Priti Patel has controversially agreed with Conservative MPs who claimed that Saturday’s vigil for murder victim Sarah Everard was “hijacked” by anti-police extremists.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith suggested police had themselves been threatened and manhandled by the crowd, while backbencher Fay Jones claimed the vigil was “hijacked by those who would seek to defund the police and destabilise our society”.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has more on this:

Conservative MP Sir Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West) has urged the government to ensure the right of peaceful protest is protected under new legislation.

He told the Commons: "(Priti Patel) has rightly said that the right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, but as she also said, this House on 6 January voted swingeing powers to control protests for the period of the coronavirus restrictions.

“Can I ask her to work with concerned members across the House to make sure that the legislation that we're about to pass protects that right of peaceful protest and only stops serious disruption?"

The home secretary responded: "I will continue to always engage with colleagues, all colleagues, on this really important point and I know how hard it has been for many colleagues of this House.

“Looking at the regulations, the implications of those regulations and the restrictions that they have brought in and of course this will also be subject to debate in the House going forward."

Sisters Uncut, the organisers of this evening’s vigil at Parliament Square, have said the event is being held to “reflect on the death of Sarah Everard, Sarah Reed and all those who have died at the hands of gendered and police violence”.

Police officers investigating the death of Sarah Everard have been combing a supermarket car park and stream in Kent.

Officers were seen using sticks to search through a shopping trolley shelter outside a Co-op in the town of Sandwich this afternoon, while others looked under vehicles.

Chiara Giordano has more details:

A Metropolitan Police officer involved in the Sarah Everard search operation in Kent has been removed from duties after allegedly sharing an “inappropriate graphic” with colleagues.

The probationary PC, who had been deployed as a cordon officer as part of the investigation, was reported by a number of officers after allegedly sharing the graphic with colleagues via social media, according to police.

The force said the graphic did not contain “photographic images, no images of Sarah, nor any other material obtained from or related to the investigation into Sarah’s murder”, however her family have been made aware of the incident.

The Metropolitan Police has voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the matter “given the context of the officer’s duties at the time”.

The officer has been removed from the search operation and placed in a non-public facing role while inquiries continue.

A Metropolitan Police officer, who was involved in the search operation to find Sarah Everard, has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Follow our breaking news story for more updates:

Priti Patel has said people acting “inappropriately” and holding signs branded with “ACAB”, meaning “All Cops Are Bastards”, at a vigil for Sarah Everard in Clapham Common on Saturday would be “subject to some consideration”.

Responding to a question from Tory backbencher Fay Jones, the home secretary said “where there is lessons to be learned [in relation to police handling of the event], they will be learned”.

But she added: “Of course, where individuals were acting inappropriately in the way in which she has said, obviously that will be subject to some consideration too.”

A large number of protesters have blocked off traffic on Westminster Bridge to demonstrate after the death of Sarah Everard.

Hundreds of Reclaim These Streets campaigners chanted and held banners while police officers halted oncoming cars.

They then moved outside nearby Scotland Yard where they chanted "shame on you" and "our streets".

Protesters sat down on the road and shouted "we will not be silenced" as police officers watched on.

A post on the Metropolitan Police’s Events Twitter account has warned officers “will shortly begin moving towards enforcement activity” as it urged protesters in central London to “head home immediately”.

An earlier tweet said protesters were moving towards Trafalgar Square and blocking Whitehall.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said it will begin two separate independent investigations linked to the death of Sarah Everard.

One will examine the circumstances surrounding how Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, who has been arrested and charged with the kidnap and murder of Ms Everard, sustained a head injury on 10 March and again on 12 March while in police custody.

The other will look at the conduct of a Metropolitan Police probationary constable who had been stationed at a cordon in Kent supporting the search operation for Ms Everard.

He is alleged to have shared an “inappropriate graphic” with colleagues via social media on 11 March.

The IOPC confirmed the graphic did not contain photographic images or any other material obtained from or related to the investigation into Ms Everard’s death, or images of her.

The IOPC said it had also looked at the actions of the Metropolitan Police, which referred itself to the watchdog, after they received a report that Ms Everard was missing, the timeline of police contact and actions taken by police during the missing person investigation and have returned the matter to the force.

The watchdog said it was not within its remit to investigation the actions of Metropolitan Police officers at a vigil on Clapham Common, in south London, on Saturday and it has discussed this further with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service.