Tens of thousands set to join pro-Palestinian march as police brace for disorder

Police are braced for hundreds of thousands of people descending on the capital for what is expected to be one of the largest political marches in British history on Saturday.

There are concerns about the risk of far-right counter-protests, particularly around the Cenotaph, which is under a 24-hour police guard, even though the pro-Palestinian demonstration a day ahead of Remembrance Sunday events is not intended to go near the monument.

Scotland Yard will deploy nearly 2,000 officers across central London in a major policing operation over the weekend, with dispersal orders in effect outside of a tightly-controlled route for the march.