The guitarist was joined by protesters dressed in black as they walked to the Houses of Parliament with a funeral hearse adorned with flower wreaths emblazoned with the words 'Failing Badger Cull' and '2263 R.I.P.' - a reference to the number of animals killed since the controversial cull began in 2013.

May, an outspoken campaigner against the initiative, which aims to stop badgers spreading tuberculosis to cattle, gave a speech at the protest and told demonstrators, "We are on the verge of disbelief that the Government thinks it can go ahead. We are here today to mark the death of over 2,000 badgers in a cull that has really achieved nothing. We are absolutely outraged that the Government would be carrying on with a cull that has already failed."

Campaigners are reportedly preparing to launch a new legal challenge in a bid to stop the cull.