Police lock down parts of Parliament to investigate suspicious ‘white powder in letter to Lord’
Labour peer is said to have received a 'racist letter' laced with suspicious powder
POLICE locked down parts of the Houses of Parliament today as officers investigated a suspicious package sent to a Labour peer.
Lords and MPs were ordered to close windows while others were locked out on the terraces for more than an hour after police were called to a "chemical incident" at 12.30pm
It has been reported that the package addressed to Labour's Lord Ahmed contained crushed chalk and a racist later. Forensic officers are analysing its contents.
According to one journalist caught up in the action, the peer had opened the letter outside on the Lords' terrace when he spotted the white powder triggering the shutdown as a precaution.
Lord Ahmed was said to have been "jovially apologetic" after the incident.
A police spokeswoman said: “We were called at 12.30pm to reports of a suspicious item delivered to the Houses of Parliament. The contents are being examined.
“There are no reports of any injuries.”
The terrace was reopened at just after 2pm.