Mark Field suspended as minister after grabbing Greenpeace protester by the neck at City dinner

Tory MP Mark Field was suspended as a Foreign Office minister today as police looked into claims he assaulted a climate change protester at a black-tie City dinner.

Theresa May made the decision after viewing footage of him manhandling the woman at last night’s event.

Her spokeswoman said she found it “very concerning”. The Greenpeace activist, who was wearing a sash with the words “climate emergency”, is said to be Janet Barker who runs an Angora wool knitting business from a farm in rural Wales.

Mr Field has been suspended while the Cabinet Office investigates whether he has broken the ministerial code. Tory Party HQ are also investigating and City of London Police is looking into the incident.

The force said it had received a “small number of third-party reports” about Mr Field’s behaviour at Mansion House, where Chancellor Philip Hammond was giving a speech.

Climate Change Protest at Mansion House Dinner - In pictures

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It is understood the Prime Minister instructed chief whip Julian Smith to suspend Mr Field, who was appointed as a minister in 2017. Her spokeswoman said: “This was her decision.”

The Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team will look into Mr Field’s behaviour. The Prime Minister’s spokeswoman added that Mrs May wanted them to start work on the case “as quickly as possible”.

Greenpeace said the activist “had a good sleep and is doing fine. We’re looking after her.”

Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis told of his astonishment at the footage and said it was “very hard to defend”.

But he also stressed that an inquiry into the incident should be allowed to fully investigate what happened.

The video clip shows Mr Field stopping the activist by pushing her against a column, then holding her by the back of the neck and forcefully walking her out of the room. Protesters interrupted the event just minutes after Mr Hammond had started speaking. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan welcomed the police action. “Violence against women is endemic in our society and this behaviour is unacceptable. He should consider his position,” Mr Khan added.

Mr Field issued a statement last night, saying: “I deeply regret this episode and unreservedly apologise to the lady concerned for grabbing her but in the current climate I felt the need to act decisively to close down the threat to the safety of those present.” He added that he had reacted “instinctively” as the protester went past him towards the top table and that for a split second he was “genuinely worried she might have been armed”.

Given the publicity surrounding the incident, he added, he had referred himself to the Cabinet Office and stressed he would co-operate fully with an investigation.

Many MPs condemned the conduct of the MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, but others defended him, citing the growing threat of violence against MPs.

Tory MP Maria Caulfield wrote on Twitter: “If she had been carrying a weapon @MarkFieldUK would be hailed a hero now.”

Johnny Mercer, the Tory MP and former Army officer added: “If you think this is ‘serious violence’, you may need to recalibrate your sensitivities. Calm down, move on, and be thankful this wasn’t worse.”

Mark Field outside Parliament in May 2014
PA Archive/PA Images

The demonstrators are believed to have gained entry by a fire door, triggering alarms. The disruption lasted several minutes and the Chancellor got back to his feet at 9.05pm.

Janet Barker was named as the Greenpeace protester who was ejected from a dinner by MP Mark Field

Greenpeace said 40 activists, some in red evening gowns, had interrupted the event. A spokesman added of the protester: “Thanks so much for your love and concern. We’re sharing positive messages with her.”

Part of a letter sent to Cressida Dick requesting a "firmer grip" on climate change demonstrations.
Mark Field/PA

The City of London Corporation, responsible for security at Mansion House, is investigating how the protesters gained access to the event.

Mr Field had previously written a letter to Met Commissioner Cressida Dick in which he complained that his constituents were "quite rightly fed up" with disruption caused by the Extinction Rebellion climate protesters.

He also claimed businesses in the West End were estimated to have lost "tens of millions of pounds" as a result of the protests.

Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley defended Mr Field's actions, saying he had done nothing wrong.

Sir Peter said: "The woman clearly was trying to create a fuss.

"Most viewers would say it's good that she didn't succeed."

Sir Peter, whose wife Virginia - now Baroness Bottomley - was assaulted while health secretary, said if a police officer had done what Mr Field did, "would there have been a fuss? The answer is no".

But Labour's shadow women and equalities secretary Dawn Butler described the incident as "horrific" and said "so much violence does not seem justified".

She added: "I'm sure I'm not the only one who is wondering why no one intervened. So much violence does not seem justified. An investigation needs to take place as soon as possible."

Senior captains of industry and top City executives were among the invited guests to hear speeches by Mr Hammond and Bank of England governor Mark Carney.

A City of London Police spokesman said: "We have received a small number of third party reports of an assault taking place at the event. These reports are being looked into by police."

The City of London Corporation said it was investigating the breach of security at Mansion House and "will be reviewing arrangements for future events".

In his ministerial role, Mr Field has spoken up for the rights of protesters and condemned violence against women.

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