Anti-mask mayhem in Trafalgar Square: Police arrest 32 as conspiracy theorists clash with officers and hundreds rail against Covid restrictions in central London protest

More than 30 people have been arrested after violent scuffles between protesters and police at a large anti-vax, anti-lockdown protest in central London.

Hundreds descended on Trafalgar Square on Saturday afternoon for a "Resist And Act For Freedom" rally, including some bearing 5G conspiracy placards and signs declaring Covid-19 a "hoax", with police repelled by human blockades as they tried to clear the area around Nelson's column.

Dozens of officers, including some on horseback and in riot gear, were pushed back by crowds who chanted and cheered, with some throwing missiles.

At least one protester was seen with a bloodied head while another was seen receiving medical attention on the ground, but the London Ambulance Service did not immediately have information on any injuries.

The London landmark was cleared of protesters after 5pm, and Scotland Yard said 32 people were arrested.

The force said the large crowds were "putting themselves and others at risk" just a day after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned it is "increasingly likely" restrictions will be needed to slow the spread of coronavirus in the capital, adding he was "extremely concerned" about the rate of transmission in London.

The number of cases per 100,000 people over seven days is reported to have increased in London from 18.8 to around 25.

Police said they had to take "enforcement action to disperse" the crowds after officers who had attempted to "explain, engage and encourage them to leave" were met with "hostility" and "violence" from some demonstrators.

Traffic around Trafalgar Square came to a halt during the demonstration, with one protester seen apparently spitting through the open window of a taxi whose driver had beeped the horn in frustration.

The protest was advertised with an image showing a vaccine bottle and urging people to "Come together, resist and act".

Protests are exempt from new legal restrictions introduced on Monday limiting groups to six, but only if it is "organised in compliance with Covid-19 Secure guidance", the Government said.

In other coronavirus developments today:

How could the 'circuit breaker' work?

The Government is mulling what has been described as a 'circuit breaker' in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.

But it would not be quite as draconian as the lockdown that was imposed at the previous height of the crisis in March.

Instead it would be similar to the lockdowns that have been introduced locally in areas with high infection levels.

Restrictions would be imposed nationwide for perhaps a fortnight, in the hope that short sharp action can break the chain of transmission.

LOCKED DOWN:

UNLOCKED

A Government source has told The Sun that the UK could face short, sharp lockdowns for the next six months until a coronavirus vaccine is ready. A No10 spokesman would not deny the claim when MailOnline approached the Prime Minister's office for comment.

The new approach to get the UK through winter would see it alternate periods of stricter measures, including bans on all social contact between households and shutting down hospitality and leisure venues like bars and restaurants, with intervals of relaxation. Schools will be shut as a 'last resort', a Whitehall source claimed.

It is understood that the new 'circuit break' shutdown could be announced via television press conference on Tuesday, in a move reminiscent of the Government's behaviour during the peak of the pandemic.

Visiting the Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre construction site near Oxford, Mr Johnson said: 'What I can certainly say about parents and schools is we want to keep the schools open, that is going to happen.

'We want to try and keep all parts of the economy open as far as we possibly can - I don't think anybody wants to go into a second lockdown but clearly when you look at what is happening, you have got to wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we have brought in on Monday, so we will be looking at the local lockdowns we have got in large parts of the country now, looking at what we can do to intensify things that help bring the rate of infection down there, but also looking at other measures as well.'

Officials, including England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, are thought to be arguing for tough restrictions as panic within official circles grows.

Today the Government's original lockdown architect, Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London, recommended 'rolling back' freedoms 'sooner rather than later' by 'reducing contact rates between people'.

The epidemiologist, who was sacked from SAGE for flouting his own lockdown rules, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Right now we're at about the levels of infections that we were seeing in late February, if we leave it at another two to four weeks we will be back at levels we were seeing more like mid March.

'That's going to clearly cause deaths... I think some additional measures are likely to be needed sooner rather than later, the timing of any more intensive policy, temporary policy, is open to question'.

But the measures are thought to have been met with protests from Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who has warned against introducing new blanket restrictions by pointing to huge damage already inflicted to the economy.

Government sources claim Mr Sunak gave 'sombre warnings' to the Prime Minister as he highlighted the severity of the damage caused to the UK economy as a result of the March lockdown - while Mr Johnson shrugged off the 'grim' economic forecasts.

Business leaders echoed the Chancellor's concerns and warned that a second lockdown would tank the economy, with the British Chambers of Commerce saying: 'Uncertainty and speculation around future national restrictions will sap business and consumer confidence at a delicate moment for the economy'.

The Government's handling of the crisis is understood to be playing on Mr Johnson's mind, with No 10 sources insisting he is already eyeing up the next General Election. But with Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party now neck-and-neck with the Tories at the polls, backbenchers - who are angry with Mr Johnson's 'madman' threat to renege on his Brexit divorce deal - could be contemplating a revolt before then.

The dramatic move came as the UK's daily infections hit a four-month high of 4,322, with figures showing the outbreak has nearly doubled in size in a week and the R number being potentially as high as 1.4.

Parts of England are being forced back into lockdown, with curbs including a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants and a ban on socialising outside of households across the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire from Tuesday. A total of around 13 million people are now under under local restrictions.

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick. Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o

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