Man arrested after climbing Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower

A man has been arrested after scaling Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster in central London.

Emergency services were called at 07:24 GMT on Saturday to reports of a protester who had climbed up the tower holding a Palestinian flag.

The barefoot man reached a ledge several metres up the tower and refused to leave.

Emergency crews went up in a crane to negotiate with him, and he eventually came down in a cherry picker as Big Ben struck midnight, after more than 16 hours.

Westminster Police said the man had been arrested once he reached the ground.

“This has been a protracted incident due to the specifics of where the man was located and the need to ensure the safety of our officers, the individual and the wider public,” they added.

“We worked with other agencies including the London Fire Brigade and deployed specialist officers to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimising risk to life.”

Following the arrest, the man was taken to St Thomas’ Hospital for treatment. He had been pictured on the tower with cut feet.

The Met said that a small group of protesters also attended the hospital on Sunday morning.

“They were ejected after causing a disturbance at the venue,” the force said.

“One of the group, a 26-year-old male, was arrested on suspicion of assault on an emergency worker after a nurse was injured in an attempt to reach the detained individual.”

The incident on Elizabeth Tower led to the closure of Westminster Bridge, one of the exits at Westminster Underground Station and Bridge Street.

Tours of the Parliamentary Estate were also cancelled in response.

A parliamentary spokesperson said: “This incident is being reviewed and lessons will be learned from it.”

Three emergency personnel were lifted several metres up on a fire brigade aerial ladder platform at around 10:00 GMT, with one person using a megaphone to speak to the man on the ledge.

Negotiations then continued throughout the day and into the night.

In a video posted on Instagram on Saturday evening, the protester could be heard telling negotiators he would come down on his “own terms”.

The man was heard saying: “If you come towards me you are putting me in danger and I will climb higher.”

Photographs throughout the day showed him sitting on the ledge with the flag and wrapped a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf around the decorative stonework on the tower.

“Shouts of “Free Palestine” and “You Are A Hero” could be heard from a small group of supporters who were pinned behind the police cordon at Victoria Embankment.

Officers imposed a condition on protest activity near Parliament Square to prevent serious disruption, the Met said.

It meant the pro-Palestinian protesters were ordered to move to a nearby street.