POLICE have admitted "regret" over the response of cops accused of "standing by" as pro-Palestine protesters climbed on a war memorial.
Footage has emerged showing protesters scaling the Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park Corner last night.
Activists were seen waving Palestine flags and chanting "free Palestine" and "ceasefire now" from atop the memorial.
Police last night said they "regret" officers not being close enough to the memorial to prevent anyone from climbing on the memorial.
But cops have insisted it would have been illegal to arrest the protesters.
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It comes as footage appears to show a group of officers standing idly by - despite a dispersal order covering Westminster being in place between 7.50pm last night through to 2am this morning.
Rishi Sunak today said he was "appalled" by the footage.
A spokesman for the PM said: "It's an affront to our armed forces, it goes against our British values, it's not acceptable.
"We will look at what further measures are needed so that the police can have confidence in taking action on this.
"We do believe there are extensive powers available to them but the public will have been shocked and I'm sure appalled by what they saw."
Home Secretary James Cleverley also vowed to investigate the Met's failure to take action.
He told LBC Radio: "We are absolutely determined to look at this. Johnny Mercer (Veterans minister), a former gunner officer, the Royal Artillery was my regiment as well - that's my regimental memorial.'
"I'm not going to let my personal feelings cloud my judgement on this, but it is clearly wrong, and the police have said that they recognise it is deeply disrespectful for people to climb on war memorials.
He added: "We have made a commitment to review the legislation around public order policing.
"If the police need more powers to make sure that really deeply distasteful, provocative things like that do not happen for the public good, because of course this is about making sure it doesn't stimulate violent action or any kind of violent responses, but if we need to take action specifically to give police more powers, we are looking at doing that."
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Mr Mercer also issued a statement on Twitter calling for protesters "dishonouring our war dead" to be arrested.
He said: "Police officers on our streets are doing a difficult job with mobs and protesters, and have my backing.
"But we've got to stop thugs clambering over war memorials.
"The Met has a lot of powers they can use, and should be using, and I'll work with colleagues to toughen the law.
"Let's see these thugs dishonouring our war dead in handcuffs."
And Tory MP Neil O'Brien slammed the police response as "pathetic".
He added: "This is 'disorderly behaviour' under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and they should have been arrested.
"In 2016 Greenpeace protesters who just put an air pollution mask on the statue of Nelson were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage."
Police last night defended the officers by stating the protesters had not broken any laws.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley also claimed arresting the protesters last night would have been illegal.
Police must be able to enforce the law impartially rather than "pandering to public opinion," he told an Institute for Government event today.
He said: "The officer recognised that while it wasn't illegal it was unfortunate, inflammatory in certain ways.
"The officers at the scene asked them to get down and they did.
"So the officers intervened as officers often do to try and de-escalate risk of conflict, even when there isn't an explicit power to do it. So I think they did a sensible thing."
But the commissioner did suggest there are elements of current police powers which "do not work very well" and that the Met will be discussing these with Government.
His comments come after a statement released by the force last night in reaction to the backlash.
The force said: "We know some online have asked why the protesters were not arrested.
"There is no law explicitly making it illegal to climb on a memorial so officers cannot automatically arrest.
"But they can intervene and make it clear the behaviour isn't acceptable.
The statement added: "Most people would agree that to climb on or otherwise disrespect a war memorial is unacceptable.
"That is why our officers have made every effort to prevent it happening in recent days.
"This evening, a breakaway group of pro-Palestinian protesters were dispersed at Hyde Park Corner.
"A number of them climbed on the Royal Artillery Memorial. While officers were on scene quickly, we regret they were not there quickly enough to prevent the protesters accessing the memorial."
One person has been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.
It comes after eight Labour frontbenchers last night defied Keir Starmer by backing a Commons vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Shadow ministers Jess Phillips, Yasmin Qureshi, Afzal Khan and Paula Barker quit after deciding to support an SNP amendment to the King's Speech backing a ceasefire.
MPs voted 293 to 125, majority 168, to reject the amendment calling for "all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire" in Gaza.
Labour MPs had been ordered to abstain on the SNP move - and were told instead to back Sir Keir's position calling for longer "humanitarian pauses" rather than a ceasefire.
That came after a massive ring of steel protected the Cenotaph on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday - with 92 far-right counter-protesters arrested.
