Hundreds of people gathered outside Downing Street to protest as Theresa May held talks inside with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Protesters chanted “Hands off Yemen - stop the bombing now” and “Stop the killing" as they demanded the UK halt arms sales to the Gulf state, which has been criticised over its bombing campaign in Yemen.

Labour’s Shadow International Development Secretary, Kate Osamor, and Green Party Deputy Leader Amelia Womack were among the speakers.

"If he says he truly is a progressive leader then he needs to look at what makes a society progressive." Ms Osamor told The Independent.

"Now, that's just in Saudi Arabia, so women should be equal to men without a shadow of a doubt. if that's not happening then he's got a lot of work to be doing."

"On top of that, more importantly, I'd be talking [to the Crown Prince] about the Yemeni people, who at this point in time are being starved," she added. "He must take this away and make differences. if he doesn't, then he's not welcome back."

Nouria Nagi, a British-Yemeni woman, said she had lost five relatives in the conflict, which has to date caused the deaths of at least 10,000 people. She said she had joined the protest to tell the Crown Prince: “Use your brain – stop the killing”.

"Five of my family have died because of this war," she said. "There is nothing [in Yemen]. If you have no money, you die.

"Nobody is getting any help or support and everybody is quiet about it. Nobody is doing anything."

Ms May will hold further talks with the Saudi leader at Chequers tomorrow, with the Crown Prince also set to meet the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William during his three-day visit.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, had earlier claimed the protesters did not understand his country’s role in Yemen.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemen’s Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdom’s Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as “inciting people against the authorities”. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabia’s clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his ‘confession’. At Dawood’s trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

“I believe [opposition group’s] positions are based on misunderstanding and not knowing,” he told the BBC. “They criticise us for a war in Yemen that we did not want, that was imposed on us.

“They criticise us for a war in Yemen that is a just war, that is supported by international law."

No 10 said Ms May had raised the issue of human rights and the situation in Yemen with the Crown Prince.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister welcomed recent reforms in Saudi Arabia, including on women attending sporting events and the cinema, and being legally able to drive from June.

“The Prime Minister and Crown Prince agreed that we should continue working together to explore ways the UK can support Saudi Arabia to progress and intensify these reforms, particularly on women’s rights, and on universal human rights, where the Prime Minister noted our particular concerns in the case of Raif Badawi.