Police have blocked a ‘Walk with Jesus’ march, led by UKIP, from taking place in London as it could lead to “serious disorder”.

The march was due to take place in Whitechapel, an area with a significant Muslim population, on Saturday. 

The Metropolitan Police said it would be “reckless” to have allowed the march to go ahead in the location, because of the risk of disorder. It can still go ahead in another location. 

UKIP reached a high point as a party during the Brexit referendum. It has since adopted more far-right policies, now on the fringe of British politics. 

A UKIP demonstration in October, called “the mass deportation tour”, was also banned in the area. A counter-protest, predominantly made up of men dressed in black wearing face masks, pledged to “defend their community”.

An advert from the group read: “Join our parade in Whitechapel worshipping Jesus Christ on January 31, the month dedicated to the holy name of Jesus.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said: “We have encouraged UKIP to consider the very real likelihood that their presence in Whitechapel could lead to serious disruption or serious disorder and to consider an alternative proposal.

“We reasonably believe, based on the information available and on previous similar incidents, that the coming together of the UKIP protest with opposing groups who are hostile to its presence would be highly likely to lead to violence and serious disorder.

"It would be reckless to allow an event to go ahead when we understand there's a risk of serious violence to members of the community and to our officers. We are not doing so on the grounds of politics. We're not even doing so on the grounds of whether people will be offended or not by their presence. We are doing so solely on our risk assessment for serious disorder.”

Anyone taking part in UKIP’s march must not enter the borough of Tower Hamlets, as per conditions under the Public Order Act.