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Police, Tory whips and the Cabinet Office are probing shocking footage that shows a government minister grabbing a woman by the neck at a black tie dinner.

Mark Field was suspended as a Foreign Office minister today after he manhandled a Greenpeace protester who invaded last night's glitzy event at Mansion House in the City of London.

Theresa May's spokeswoman said the Prime Minister had viewed the footage herself and found it "very concerning".

Today the protester, named as Janet Barker, said she would not be complaining to police. But calls were mounting for Mr Field to be arrested and sacked altogether.

(Image: ITV)

Around 40 climate change activists gatecrashed the annual banquet for bankers and politicians - forcing Chancellor Philip Hammond to break off his speech.

Footage emerged showing the Cities of London and Westminster MP manhandling one of the protesters wearing a "climate emergency" sash.

It shows the woman passing behind the MP's chair. He then stands, shoves the woman against a pillar by her neck, and appears to push her away out of the room.

Mr Field issued a statement in the early hours apologising but saying he thought "she might have been armed".

But Tory whips and police are now examining the footage - and Mr Field has referred himself to the Cabinet Office to establish if he broke the ministerial ethics code.

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Labour MP Lisa Nandy branded the footage "horrifying" while fellow MP Tonia Antoniazzi added: "Mark Field should resign and be arrested. I don’t care in what order. No one who reacts like this to a peaceful protest should be sitting in our parliament."

Former Tory Sarah Wollaston said it was "absolutely shameful, a male MP marching a woman out of a room by her neck."

Labour's Shadow Women and Equalities minister Dawn Butler said: "This is horrific. Conservative Foreign Office Minister Mark Field violently grabs a woman as she protests about climate change at the bankers’ banquet.

"This appears to be assault. He must be immediately suspended or sacked. Due to Violence against women."

Lib Dem leadership candidate Sir Ed Davey said: "The evidence is all there in the video so the police must press charges for this assault."

Labour MP Jess Phillips, a former domestic abuse worker, said: "She posed no credible threat from what I can see.

"There is very little else that could justify this and anyone can see that this could have been done without physical contact."

Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis confirmed the Chief Whip will investigate Mr Field's behaviour.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain it was "very hard to defend" the footage, adding: "It's hard for anybody to look at that and not be astonished at what they have seen."

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As a Foreign Office minister Mr Field's boss is Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt - one of two candidates for the Tory leadership.

When contacted by the Press Association Jeremy Hunt responded with a text saying "sorry can't talk now".

London mayor Sadiq Khan urged Mr Field to "consider his position" over the "shocking behaviour". He added: "Violence against women is endemic in our society and this behaviour is unacceptable."

The Tory MP later apologised for the incident and said he reacted instinctively fearing the protester may have been armed.

In a statement to ITV's Paul Brand, he said: “A major security breach occurred at the dinner I attended last night when a large number of protesters suddenly and noisily stormed into Mansion House.

“In the confusion, many guests understandably felt threatened and when one protester rushed past me towards the table I instinctively reacted.

“There was no security present and I was for a split-second genuinely worried she might have been armed.”

He continued: "As a result, I grasped the intruder firmly in order to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.

"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 those present.

(Image: ITV)

"In view of the the publicity around this incident, I am referring myself to the Cabinet Office to examine whether there has been a breach of the minsterial code, and will of course co-operate fully."

Some MPs defended Mr Field's behaviour.

Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley added: "The woman clearly was trying to create a fuss... he reversed her direction and she looked as though she went willingly.

"I think there's no reason to criticise Mark Field ... Of course it wasn't an assault, it was a reversal of direction."

But Greenpeace campaigner Areeba Hamid said the woman was a victim of "physical assault" and "in shock".

She told BBC Breakfast: "When she came back last night I did meet her briefly. She was still in shock obviously but has been reassured by the outpouring of support she’s been seeing online and she is recovering from what was a very busy night for her and other activists."

She added: “Mark Field should really have a long hard stare at himself and think about whether that behaviour is in keeping with someone who is in public office.”

Former Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said the incident involving Mark Field was "obviously disturbing" but needed further investigation.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think Mark has done absolutely the right thing, he has apologised to the woman concerned and he has referred himself to the Cabinet Secretary.

"I think that's the appropriate way to deal with it."

The environment protesters were bundled out of the Mansion House annual Bankers and Merchants Dinner after gatecrashing the Chancellor's speech to highlight a "climate emergency."

The activists in red evening dress had piled into the black tie event in London last night to interrupt Philip Hammond's address to the annual banquet attended by key political and City grandees.

(Image: ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX)

After the activists were ushered out Mr Hammond remarked: "The irony is that this is Government that has just led the world by committing to a zero carbon economy by 2050."

The comment was met with applause.

Mr Hammond went on to tell the banquet the UK faced a quandary as Parliament would not allow no deal Brexit , and, based on the evidence so far, MPs also would not support the only deal on the table.

Issuing a direct warning to the last-standing Tory leadership hopefuls, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt , the chancellor said he "could be wrong," and the EU could renegotiate the deal, and the Irish backstop question could go away.

"But if I'm not - if the deal the current PM has negotiated turns out to be the best deal possible and Parliament continues to reject both it, and no deal, then the question to the candidates is not 'what is your plan,' but 'what is your plan B'.

(Image: Mark Thomas/REX/Shutterstock) (Image: ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX)

"Because if your plan A is undeliverable, not having a plan B is not having a plan at all."

After its activists were kicked out, and before the footage of Mr Field emerged Greenpeace's climate campaigner Areeba Hamid issued a statement saying climate science demanded "radical" policy interventions and public investments.

She accused "the serious, sensible, grey-suited grown-ups in the room" of crashing the economy in 2008, and urged them to act to avoid "crashing" the climate too.

(Image: ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX) (Image: Greenpeace)

"This is a climate emergency. Business as usual is no longer an option. The real bottom line, the priority that needs to come before all others, is not profit, revenue or growth, but survival.

That needs to be recognised in every boardroom and on every balance sheet, starting with the Chancellor's," she said.

"The people in this room have been funding climate change, and we're not giving the banks and hedge funds a pass for their unethical investment decisions anymore."

In response to the Mark Field incident, she said: “We were shocked at the footage of an elected MP and government Minister assaulting one of our peaceful protestors at the Mansion House tonight.

"The protestor in question was hoping to discuss climate change and the economic reforms we need with the financiers and bankers at the dinner.

"Mark Field is the MP for the City and represents many of those financiers and bankers.

"We hope they will show a greater willingness to listen and understand the necessity for urgent action than their representative.”

City of London police said: “We have received a small number of third party reports of an assault taking place at the [Mansion House] event.

"These reports are being looked into by police.”