Don't miss... London protests turn violent as police and demonstrators clash [LATEST]

       Police chiefs have reacted with fury to accusations they "surrendered" to a Black Lives Matter mob by pulling armed officers away from the gates of Downing Street at the height of violent protests. Senior officers have been accused of leaving the security of No10 in jeopardy through a "reckless" order as unrest unfolded.

       New court papers brought claim that Metropolitan Police chiefs were so worried about unruly mobs attempting to breach the barrier to Downing Street that they commanded elite armed officers to withdraw. The move was made over fears demonstrators could grab their guns and "use them". But now, the Met has hit back - and though the force has labelled the Mail's report "misleading", they did admit it was "routine" practice to bring firearms officers away from crowds of protesters.

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       Robert Jenrick (Image: Getty)

       "This is misleading. While we cannot comment on the specifics of security matters, Downing Street remained fully protected by armed officers throughout,” the force said in a statement.

       "It is completely wrong to suggest security of the site was compromised.

       "As a matter of routine, in policing any protests, we would seek to avoid firearms officers coming into contact with protesters."

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       Overall, the 2020 clashes - which erupted in Britain following the murder of George Floyd in the US in May that year - left dozens of officers injured, including a policewoman who was hospitalised after her horse bolted.

       But in light of the court papers' claims, which were unveiled by the Mail on Sunday, senior politicians have heaped scorn on the Met - sending fears of "two-tier policing" in the UK skyrocketing.

       Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "If this is true, then the Met's leadership recklessly surrendered to the mob and jeopardised the security of Downing Street in a pathetic attempt to placate hostile protesters.

       "This will only add to the growing perception of two-tier policing where fashionable causes and minority groups are treated more leniently than everyone else."

       Reform UK's chief whip Lee Anderson said: "To learn that armed police were stood down due to fears of having their weapons taken is absolutely shocking.

       "Mayor Sadiq Khan and the then-commissioner Cressida Dick have serious questions to answer.

       "To think our Met capitulated to the rabble that is BLM is truly staggering. Maybe now the current PM and Deputy PM will stop taking the knee and get on with protecting the public.

       "There is absolutely no point in our police carrying guns if they are not expected to use them. Our police are there to protect and serve, not to cower and surrender."

       Tobias Ellwood, the ex-Tory MP who was hailed as a hero for trying to save PC Keith Palmer's life in Westminster during Khalid Masood's deadly 2017 terror attack, said: "I'm flabbergasted. Downing Street along with Parliament is the heart of our democracy.

       "In no circumstances should there ever be a moment where our ability to defend it is reduced. Otherwise what is the purpose of even having a security operation if it so easily collapses?

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       "This warrants a far deeper investigation and to ask were there political judgements here that overrode operational decision-making."

       In the newly-revealed court filings, the Met's barrister, Adam Clemens, wrote: "A crowd in the vicinity of the junction of Whitehall and Downing Street appeared either to be focusing, or at least directing some of their ire, on Downing Street itself... There was a genuine concern that protesters might attempt to get into Downing Street."

       He added that there had been a "risk of a discharge of a firearm, or of members of the public overcoming an armed officer and taking possession of a firearm".

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       In response, it was an "appropriate" move to withdraw armed officers, Clemens said - while an "active push", where several horses moved forward at a controlled trot, "was a reasonable, proportionate and appropriate reaction to the threat posed" by the protesters.

       The Met also stressed that it was only officers outside the barriers to Downing Street who were withdrawn - suggesting armed guards inside the gates remained at their post.