After marching through Central London, members of the activist group sat and laid down on the ground in Parliament Square.

Activist Victoria Lindsell, 68, said: "We will stop the moment Rishi Sunak listens to our demands, which are 'no new licences for fossil fuels'."

Protesters were seen wearing orange hi-vis vests and many were placed in handcuffs by officers after refusing to move from the area.

The Metropolitan Police said the arrests were made under section seven of the Public Order Act, such that they can be carried out if a demonstrator "disproportionately interferes with road transport infrastructure".

The force added that its officers will take into account "a person's right to protest" before making an arrest.

Campaigner Matt Cunningham, 26, said he was taking part because the government had "blatantly ignored its own climate advisers".

Mr Cunningham, from Suffolk, added: "I have a five-month-old nephew and I can't face the thought that his future is destroyed by people who don't care and just want profit."

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Anita Kempf, 61, who was on holiday in London from Switzerland, said she thought the protest in Parliament Square would "not change anything".

"We should just ignore them. It doesn't achieve anything, protesting like that," she added.

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Just Stop Oil posted on social media that 65 people were a part of the march to demand "an end to new oil and gas".

They added in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Ordinary people are in the road at Parliament Square, calling out our government's genocidal policy of new fossil fuels."