'Block the Bridge' and 'Block the Bill' Protest - Westminster Bridge

Thousands of protestors occupy one of London's most iconic landmarks in a last-ditch attempt to defeat a bill condemned by doctors as 'undermining all that is precious about the NHS'.

Westminster Bridge, one of London's most iconic landmarks, lies between the Houses of Parliament on the north of the river and St. Thomas' Hospital on the south. UK Uncut claims that "by blocking Westminster Bridge, we symbolically block the bill from getting from Parliament to our hospitals". In a message to supporters entitled "Block the Bridge, Block the Bill", the group encourages participants to adopt tactics including lying in pools of fake blood, performing pretend operations and having picnics overlooking Parliament.

Ben Aden, a nurse in a hospital in north London, said: "The government's 'listening exercise' was a sham. All major medical bodies told the government to scrap the bill, but the government is only listening to the private healthcare corporations who stand to make billions from our illnesses. The bill wasn't in the Lib Dem manifesto. It wasn't in the Tory manifesto. None of us voted for this. When the government show such a blatant disregard for democracy, it's right to engage in civil disobedience. This is our last chance to save the NHS."