Palestine protesters joined by Jeremy Corbyn in urging Burnham to act on Israel

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There was a strong presence of uniformed officers for Saturday’s National March for Palestine where the Metropolitan Police had imposed strict conditions under the Public Order Act to prevent serious disruption to residents.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stood at the front of the Palestine Coalition-organised march as it made its way from Russell Square to Westminster.

He said his message to Mr Burnham: "Your country is involved in supporting the acts of genocide. Stop it, change it and shut the arms supply to Israel."

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Police, who attended "a small counter demonstration" near The Strand made eight arrests for a range of offences including assault and racially aggravated public order offences, a force spokesperson said.

Earlier, protesters had passed through that entertainment and tourism district shouting chants telling passersby that "while you are shopping, bombs are dropping".

Mr Corbyn later He congratulated Mr Burnham on his new job but then added: "I hope he recognises that millions of us in this country have marched for years in support of the Palestinian people and, he must know this, that for as many years as it takes we will carry on marching for the Palestinian people.

"We will never shut up. We will never go away.

"We will never give up because the Palestinian people demand that."

Many of the demonstrators carried Palestine flags and many held homemade banners saying: "Stop stealing Palestinian land" and "stop the pogroms in the West Bank now".

The protesters also brought a heavy drum beat and chants of "free our prisoners now" to the march.

Mr Burnham said last week that the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire and should look at further sanctions, and called for "measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements".

He said there was "increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed", but added it was ultimately a matter for international courts rather than politicians to determine.

Co-deputy leader of the Green Party Mothin Ali told the crowd: "We call on Andy Burnham to take a positive stance to end all armed sales to Israel, to end complicity in this genocide, to end spy flights, to end support for the IDF.

"Look at the numbers of people on these streets. We will continue to march. We will continue to raise our voices and we will continue to make sure you stay on track."

Earlier, a round of applause broke out as the march moved past a group of elderly supporters sitting beneath a sign that read "holocaust survivor descendants against Gaza genocide".

Hampshire-based Miranda Pinch, 75, said: "It is disgusting that Britain still tolerates Israel, not even allowing independent journalists and independent investigations into what is going on in Gaza and the West Bank."