Insulate Britain are holding a 24-hour fast outside Downing Street in solidarity with a fellow jailed protester who has been moved to a hospital wing after going on a hunger strike.
The eco-activists say prison staff at HMP Bronzefield, Surrey, have become 'increasingly concerned' about the health of Emma Smart.
Ms Smart, 44, a biologist from Weymouth, has refused food for the past 14 days since being jailed for her part in Insulate Britain's road-blocking protests.
Today a handful of supporters gathered at No 10 to start a 24-hour fast, not blocking the road as in previous demonstrations that have outraged motorists.
A spokesperson said: 'Supporters of Insulate Britain will be doing a 24-hour fast outside 10 Downing Street, with Emma, in solidarity with people who will have to make the choice whether to heat or eat in Britain this winter.
'This is the only option now available to her in prison, to highlight the cowardice of in refusing to support the most vulnerable.'
The No 10 fasting is supposed to last 24 hours, which will be a challenge in cold temperatures
The controversial activists left little doubt who they were there for with their placards
Andy Smith and his wife Emma Smart, who was handed a four month prison sentence
It comes as the group yesterday released a statement on behalf of the jailed eco-activist.
Speaking from prison, she said: 'The window of my cell in the hospital wing is blocked up and there is little natural light, in my previous cell I could see the birds and trees that line the prison fence.
'I have less time to go outside in the prison yard for exercise now.
'All of this is testing my resolve to continue, but I feel that not eating is the only thing I can do from prison to draw attention to those who will have to make the choice between heating and eating this winter.
Supporters of Insulate Britain stage a 24 hour fast outside Downing Street, London, in a call for action on fuel poverty
The protests are in solidarity for a hunger striking Insulate Britain group activist who is among those who received prison terms for blocking roads.
Smart was imprisoned with eight other people from Insulate Britain (pictured: An Insulate Britain protest) who were given sentences of between three and six months and were each ordered to pay costs of £5,000
Smart, 44, has been on hunger strike for 14 days since being jailed for her parts in Insulate Britain's disruptive road-blocking protests
Jailed Insulate Britain activist Emma Smart (pictured), who is on hunger strike while in prison, has been taken to hospital, the group say
The women jailed over the Insulate Britain protests will be sent to HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Surrey (file picture)
HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Surrey, was Britain's first purpose-built prison for women when it opened in 2004. Up to 572 women inmates can be held at the Category A jail across four houseblocks which can hold about 130 people in each one.
Each wing has a servery unit for women to collect their food, which they can either eat together on the wing or take it back to their rooms. Telephones are also provided in each room. It has a 17-bed healthcare facility, and a mother and baby unit for 12 women and 13 babies up to the age of 18 months.
When a woman arrives at the prison they are searched and their welfare assessed by a doctor and nurse. They also receive a meal and drink, before beginning an induction process the following day. Notable former inmates include murderer Rose West, child abuser Vanessa George and the Labour MP Fiona Onasanya.
A study in July 2016 by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found prisoners were normally offered about five options for lunch and the same for dinner. A typical prison lunch consisted of a sandwich, wrap or portion of pasta, served with a piece of fruit or crisps and biscuits. Typical dinners included a choice of curry, pie, baked fish or casserole, accompanied by rice, vegetables, potatoes, and a choice of dessert or fruit such as apples and oranges.
The most recent report of Bronzefield by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in 2018 said many inmates were facing 'significant mental health problems', 'self-harm among prisoners remained high' and 'violent incidents had increased significantly over the previous four years' - but concluded that it was an 'overwhelmingly safe prison'.
But another report released two months ago found an 18-year-old inmate who lost her baby at the jail in 2019 should never have given birth alone in her cell. The probe found the mother, known as Ms A, pressed her cell bell twice and asked for a nurse but nobody came. One hour later a prison officer shone a torch into her cell but said there was nothing out of the ordinary. But the inmate said she was on all fours at the time and described being in constant pain, before passing out then awaking to find her daughter had been born but was not breathing.
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'Not standing by while our government commits treason against the people of this country feels like the most important thing I will do in my life.'
Smart was imprisoned along with eight other Insulate Britain activists who were given sentences of between three and six months after breaching an injunction designed to stop the group's road-blocking protests.
They were also each ordered to pay costs of £5,000. The court ordered that the jailed activists should serve at least half their sentences.
A further group of nine people from Insulate Britain have been summoned to appear at the High Court next month to face a charge of contempt of court.
If found guilty, they could be subject to unlimited fines, seizure of assets and prison sentences of up to two years.
Smart, who was jailed earlier
