PEACE activists are stepping up their campaign against the war in Ukraine with a central London rally on Wednesday night after hitting back at Sir Keir Starmer’s clampdown on MPs criticising Nato.

A No to War in Ukraine rally, organised by Stop the War, will take place at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1, from 6.30 pm.

Speakers will include Mr Corbyn, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament general secretary Kate Hudson, National Education Union joint general secretary Kevin Courtney and writer Tariq Ali.

A global day of action has been called by the coalition for next Sunday, with over 20 events planned in towns and cities nationwide.

They include a major event outside the BBC headquarters, Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London W1, from noon.

The rally follows threats from Sir Keir Starmer to expel Labour members who compare Russia’s actions to wars launched by Western countries.

Speaking at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening, the Labour leader said that there was “no room” in it for anyone who asserts a “false equivalence” between Nato and Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Sir Keir’s comments came just days after 11 MPs were told to remove their names from a Stop the War Coalition letter questioning Nato expansionism.

He said that Mr Putin is attacking democracy, the rule of law and the sovereignty of independent nations while “Nato is defending them.”

Speaking to journalists today, Sir Keir stressed that he has been “very clear” to Labour MPs that “our support for Nato is unshakable.”

He said: “There’s no place for anybody in the Labour Party who makes the false equivalence between the aggression of Russia and defensive action of Nato and we’re very, very clear about where we stand.”

Stop the War convenor Lindsey German told the Star: “Even Tony Blair didn’t discipline MPs who voted against wars.

“Starmer is creating a thought police. And his ludicrous defence of Nato goes against much expert opinion on the question.”

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, founder of the Peace and Justice Project and MP for Islington North, said that there is no evidence that the anti-war coalition has done anything “other than stand up for peace.”

On Monday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced that three more Russian banks would face sanctions, including Sberbank, the country’s largest.

Ms Truss also announced a ban on exports to Russia across a range of “critical sectors.”

British oil transnational Shell also said that it will withdraw from all its Russian operations.

Peace talks continue in Belarus between representatives of the Ukrainian and Russian governments even as satellite images appear to show a Russian military convoy about 40 miles long heading towards Kiev from the north.

Ukraine has already accused Russia of war crimes over the bombardment of civilian areas in Kharkiv, the country’s second city.

Speaking during a visit to Warsaw today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the Russian president had decided to “bomb tower blocks, to send missiles into tower blocks, to kill children.”

Clarifying remarks made earlier in the week by Ms Truss, who said she supported volunteers from Britain going to fight the Russian invaders, Mr Johnson told reporters on the Estonian leg of his trip that Britain “is not actively doing such a thing.”

He also dismissed the prospect of Russia being thrown out of the United Nations security council, pointing out that Moscow would veto any change to the rules.

The PM told Nato troops during a visit to an army base that the world enjoys “greater peace and security because you are on the front line of our collective Western defence.”