Intelligence

MI5 to shake-up Commons security

MI5 to shake-up Commons security

The Government has called in MI5 to help tighten security at Westminster.
The move came after two men were charged in connection with Wednesday's purple flour bomb attack on Prime Minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons.

The move came after two men were charged in connection with Wednesday's purple flour bomb attack on Prime Minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons.

Commons leader Peter Hain has met with the deputy head of MI5 and radical new security measures are expected to be introduced following the incident during Prime Minister's Questions

Patrick Ronald Davis, 48, of Vale Avenue, Worthing, Sussex, and Guy Richard Harrison, 36, of Sopers Farm, Peppers Lane, Ashurst, Steyning, West Sussex, will appear at Bow Street Magistrates' Court in central London next Wednesday.

The two men were charged with "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress" at the Commons on May 19.

They face a maximum fine of £1,000 each and cannot be jailed for the offence with which they have been charged.

Mr Hain said the "old-fashioned culture of security" in the House would have to be modernised, and told MPs "big modifications in security" were on their way.

But Mr Hain, and MPs from all sides, said the public should still retain access to Parliament.

Mr Hain and MI5's deputy head discussed how a review of security at the Palace of Westminster could be speeded up.

It is widely expected that the security screen which currently encloses all but three rows of the public gallery in the Commons will be extended to block off potential access to the chamber from all sides.

May 20, 2004 at 07:00 PM in MI5 | Permalink | TrackBack (35) | Top of page | Blog Home