The Metropolitan Police has distanced itself from a festival accused of offering a platform to speakers who have defended the Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

The force is understood to have told organisers of next weekend’s Global Peace and Unity (GPU) Festival to remove its name as a “supporting partner” of the event.

It followed complaints from Policy Exchange, the centre-right think tank, that by associating with the festival, the Met risked compromising its impartiality as a police force.

Stephen Timms, a senior Labour MP, has also withdrawn as a speaker from the festival after being told it would host Zwelivelile Mandela who has praised leaders of Hamas and described Oct 7 as an act of resistance. 

Mr Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, is believed to be no longer involved in the event although his name is still on GPU’s website.

After being informed by The Telegraph of its billing on the GPU website, a Met Police spokesman said: “The MPS is not a supporting partner and is not contributing financially to the event.”

Logos of the Met Police and its Association of Muslim Police had been removed by Saturday morning as “supporting partners” of the event.