Four men have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass at the prime minister’s constituency home in Yorkshire, police have said.
The suspects were arrested on Tuesday in the grounds of Rishi Sunak’s home in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton at about 12.40pm before being escorted off the property, North Yorkshire police said.
The force said the men included a 52-year-old from London, a 43-year-old from Bolton, a 21-year-old from Manchester, and a 20-year-old from Chichester.
They remain in police custody and inquiries are under way.
In a statement North Yorkshire police said: “We have arrested four people in the grounds of the prime minister’s constituency home this afternoon.
“Our officers were with the four men within one minute of them entering the grounds.
“They were detained at around 12.40pm before being escorted off the property and arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.”
The arrests are connected to a protest by Youth Demand, which describes itself as a campaign group who want “the Tories and the Labour party [to] commit to a two-way arms embargo on Israel, and to stop all new oil and gas licences”.
It has staged a number of actions against the government and Labour’s proposed policies.
A spokesperson for the group said three of those arrested were taking part in the demonstration while a fourth was an independent photographer.
In a separate incident, a motorist crashed into the gates of Sunak’s official country residence, Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, police said.
The incident took place shortly after midday on Tuesday when a white Volkswagen Scirocco hit the barriers at the entrance.
Sunak was not at the property at the time and was attending events linked to the Japanese state visit in London.
Thames Valley police said the driver, a 44-year-old man from the county, was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and drink-driving, and was the only person in the car.
A spokesperson added that the driver “suffered serious injuries” and was taken to hospital, “where he remains”.
“While we are still in the very early stages of our investigation, there is currently no evidence to suggest there was any intention to harm anyone,” the force said.
