BRIAN MAY led a “symbolic” funeral parade through central London yesterday to mark the deaths of 2,263 badgers culled in government schemes.

The former Queen guitarist was joined by a crowd of black-clad animal rights campaigners.

They carried placards and wreaths, some of which read: “Slaughter is not the solution,” to mourn badgers that were killed in the first two years of a “failing” attempt to stop bovine tuberculosis (bTB) being spread to cows.

The sombre procession marched from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs offices to Old Palace Yard by Parliament.

A black 1933 hearse with “Team Badger” written out in white flowers also followed while Mr May, who has long campaigned for badgers’ welfare, looked full of sorrow.

He and campaigners are planning to lodge a judicial review this week over the law allowing 2,000 more badgers to be killed in Dorset, Somerset and Gloucestershire this year — at the astronomical cost of £6,775 per badger.

If the cull was rolled out to more than 40 areas in England, the cost could easily exceed half a billion pounds, according to Badger Trust chief executive Dominic Dyer.

Farming Minister George Eustice had insisted that “strong action” was needed to stop the spread of bTB in cattle in order to protect the dairy and beef industries.

But the Tory government disbanded an independent expert panel after it found that the pilot culls in 2013 were neither effective nor humane.

Only 1.6 per cent of all badgers who could test positive for bTB are able to pass it on to cattle, according to the panel.