The Mayor of London has called on the Home Secretary to reverse cuts to police numbers after environmental protests brought parts of the city centre to a standstill.

Environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion last week protested around the capital calling on the Government to take climate change more seriously.

According to the police around 1,000 people were arrested during the protests.

Now Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has written to Home Secretary Sajid Javid asking him to reverse police cuts in order to be able to tackle both protests – when they occur – as well as other important crimes, such as knife crime.

In the Letter Mr Khan said he supports the “right to peaceful and lawful protest”.

He added: “But this right must be balanced against the need to ensure the safety and security of all Londoners, as well as the continued running of our city.”

Mr Khan said police cuts are impacting upon “core policing priorities” – such as tackling knife crime.

The Government is responsible for 70 per cent of the Metropolitan Police budget but since 2010 it has cut funding to them by £700 million.

The number of police officers in London also dropped below 30,000 last year for the first-time in 15 years.

Mr Khan added: “Whether to tackle violent crime, or police protests, our brave police officers deserve the resources they need to keep us safe.

“Once again, I ask you to reverse the cuts to police funding that your Government has made since 2010.”