Parliament has been suspended after an assailant stabbed a police officer and was subsequently shot by officers.
Scotland Yard have stated that the attack in Westminster is being treated “as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise.”
Following this attack, Lindsay Hoyle, Deputy speaker of the House of Commons, suspended action after the reports of gunfire. “I am now going to suspend the sitting of the house, this house is now suspended but please wait here”, he said.
The leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington, also gave a short statement to the assembled MPs.
Commons business suspended for the remainder of the day, Leader of the House David Lidington tells MPs
— BBC Parliament (@BBCParliament) March 22, 2017
“The alleged assailant was shot by armed police. An ambulance is currently attending the scheme to remove the casualties there are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues from all sides wold appreciate it would be wrong of me to go through all the details until we have confirmation from the police and from the house security as to what is going on.
“I shall endeavour to do the very best I can both at the despatch box and by communicating with my opposite numbers in other political parties to ensure members are kept aware of what is happening. But at the moment the very clear advice from the police and the director of security in the House is that we should remain under suspension and that the chamber should remain in lockdown until we receive advice that it is safe to go back to normal procedures.”
Here’s the moment that Parliament was suspended.
Deputy speaker announces UK Houses of Parliament suspended after incident on Westminster Bridge https://t.co/WG8yXWpPVV pic.twitter.com/0SpfNcjAIv
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) March 22, 2017
This is the moment Parliament was suspended as "sounds similar to gunfire" were heard outside pic.twitter.com/to6PPxkNqL
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 22, 2017
