Trump protests: Why was a baby balloon flown over London?

Blimp raised over Parliament Square in protest at president’s four-day visit to UK

A giant balloon depicting Donald Trump as an angry baby holding on to a smart phone has been flown over central London.

The blimp was raised in Parliament Square in protest at the president’s four-day visit to the UK.

It was given the green light by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, but has drawn significant criticism, with some branding it inappropriate.

Here is everything you need to know about the balloon:

Where was it?

A few hundred people gathered to watch the blimp launch in Parliament Square, where it was tethered.

The inflatable was granted a two-hour licence by Mr Khan and was taken down at around midday on Friday.

Organisers of the stunt wore red boiler suits and red baseball caps emblazoned with "Trump babysitter".

After counting down from ten to one a cheer went up as the large balloon rose to fly around 30 metres from the ground.

Who is responsible for the blimp?

Organisers ran a campaign to raise almost £18,000 through crowd funding to pay for the inflatable, which they said reflects Mr Trump's “fragile ego and tiny hands".

How big is it?

The Trump balloon is six-metres tall and organisers hope crowds will be able to see the blimp “peeping over” from Downing Street.

If it manages to fly high enough the balloon may be visible from the Southbank of the Thames.

What have critics said?

Nigel Farage, a long-time supporter of Mr Trump, described the protest as a “step too far” and said it was "the biggest insult to a sitting US president ever".

Tory MP Nicolas Soames was also not happy with the blimp outside Parliament, tweeting: "The utterly pathetic pointless graceless balloon launched in front of a tiny crowd of tourists #idioticpathosgesture".

How have organisers and the Mayor of London responded to the criticism?

Mr Khan gave his blessing for the blimp to be flown and rejected suggestions it showed a lack of respect to the US president.

"The idea that we restrict freedom of speech, the right to assemble, the right to protest because somebody might be offended is a slippery slope," he told BBC radio, adding that a protest to welcome Trump was also planned.

"We have a rich history in this country of having a sense of humour as well."

Organiser Daniel Jones, a 26-year-old charity communications officer, said they were trying to make people laugh as well as making a serious point.

"It's also about giving a boost to those in America resisting his policies," he said.