'No to Digital ID' march winds from Marble Arch to Whitehall

A 'No to Digital ID' demonstration marched through central London on Saturday 18 October 2026, meeting at Marble Arch from 1pm and following a route via Oxford Street, Charing Cross Road, Shaftesbury Avenue, Haymarket and Cockspur Street to Whitehall, where organisers planned a rally into the early evening. The Metropolitan Police said they had no firm estimate of attendance in advance and would deploy a proportionate policing plan, with road closures around the march route and Marble Arch BID issuing security notifications to businesses along Oxford Street. Protesters opposed the government's proposals for a nationwide digital identity scheme, framing the march as a civil-liberties demonstration. The march was one of several central-London protest events in autumn 2026 and drew particular attention because of its route through the heart of the West End on one of the busiest shopping Saturdays of the month, coinciding with Oxford Street preparations for its own pedestrianisation trial from 26 October. There were no reports of major disorder, and most central-London retailers remained open throughout the march.