Demonstrators have set up a camp in the grounds of Westminster Abbey to protest against cuts to financial support for disabled people. Members of disabled people against the cuts (Dpac) pitched tents and said they intended to occupy the green outside the doors of one of Westminster's most recognisable landmarks until 22 July. The protest is reminiscent of the occupation that sprang up at St Paul's Cathedral in 2011. The dean of Westminster is expected to negotiate with the protesters on Saturday evening, after they claimed that he initially refused their request for permission to stay. The group also sent a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, urging the church not to forcibly remove them from its grounds. Around 100 protesters began the demonstration, but a heavy police presence meant their number dwindled to around 50 people. The Metropolitan police said that one person was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer as protesters sought to establish a camp and officers resolved to stop them. Police stood on top of tents in a bid to prevent the demonstrators from pitching them. Some protesters in wheelchairs locked themselves to fences at the site. They were supported by Labour backbench MP John McDonnell, who said that the government's cuts to welfare were making people "desperate".
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