Women gather for a rally in Westminster in solidarity with the women of Belarus. Protests have rocked Belarus since the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko. The UK has temporarily recalled its ambassador to Belarus Jacqueline Perkins in response to the Belarusian government’s decision to expel 35 diplomats from neighbouring Poland and Lithuania. Minsk asked the two countries to scale back the number of diplomatic staff they had in Belarus on Friday amid ongoing political unrest. Mr Lukashenko, who has been the sole occupant of the position since it was established 26 years ago, won with 80% of the vote while his main challenger Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya received only 10%. She and her supporters refused to recognise the result as valid, and mass protests have rocked Belarus ever since.