A former City banker due to stand trial over his participation in an Extinction Rebellion protest has called on the Government to tell the "truth" about climate change.

Father-of-two Andrew Medhurst, from Wandsworth, quit his job in finance to become a volunteer for the activist group known for its tactics of civil disobedience.

The 53-year-old was arrested at Waterloo Bridge on April 16 as wide-spread Extinction Rebellion action brought parts of the capital to a standstill.

Appearing at City of London Magistrates' Court on August 9, Medhurst denied a charge of failing to comply with a Section 14 order issued by police, which said protesters must move to a permitted demonstration at Marble Arch.

Medhurst, who was supported by his wife and daughter, is due to stand trial at the same court on November 7.

Speaking outside court following his plea, Medhurst said he did not believe he was guilty of the charge against him.

"Just because the law in a particular country says you're guilty of something doesn't make it immoral in your conscience," he said.

Medhurst, sporting a blue badge bearing the Extinction Rebellion logo, accused the Government of failing to properly inform the public about the threat posed by climate change.

He said: "If there's any criminality, in my opinion, going on here, it's the criminality of my government and governments around the world who are failing to express in very simple language the huge threat to human life both to the people on this planet now today and future generations.

"It's just criminal for governments to not tell citizens what is in store and as a result I think it would be more appropriate for officials of Her Majesty's government to be in court."

He said did not take his protest action and its impact on Londoners "lightly", explaining it was about gaining "publicity" for the Extinction Rebellion cause.

He added: "If the truth was explicitly being told by the Government to all citizens there wouldn't be any need for me or others to be arrested."

Medhurst began his finance career at Midland Bank, now HSBC, in 1987, and worked in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bangkok.

After an eight year stint at Lloyds Banking Group he later moved into the pensions sector, where he began to question the sense of encouraging young people to save for the future.

He said: "If what I'm reading is correct, they won't need a share portfolio, they will need food and shelter and security.

"And they may need that much earlier than 30 or 40 years time."

He explained he came to see pensions as almost "fraudulent" as they encouraged young people to "save for a future they may not have".

After reading research on climate and starting a personal blog dedicated potential future grandchildren, Medhurst said the emergence of Extinction Rebellion was a key reason for him to give up his job.

"Suddenly Extinction Rebellion gave me an outlet for my wish to act," he said.

He has since set up started a local Extinction Rebellion group in Wandsworth and agreed to become a team leader for its finance working group.

Medhurst said his wife was also an Extinction Rebellion supporter and his actions had helped inspire his own daughter.

He said: "My daughter, who has not really shown a lot of interest in activism, she's been on the youth strikes for climate, and has clearly shown up today because she wants to support me.

"It's quite emotional to have her here."

Medhurst was among the names of 60 activists, ranging in age from 20 to 76 years old, listed to appear across two court rooms at City of London Magistrates' court on Friday.

Many of the activists were charged with public order offences, after allegedly failing comply with an order to move from locations such as Waterloo Bridge, Parliament Square and Oxford Circus and instead stick to an allocated area in Marble Arch.