Evening Standard/London
A protester was today arrested after a security breach in the House of Commons in which he tried to throw a bag of marbles at MPs.
In the biggest Commons security breach since a protester threw a bag of purple flower at Tony Blair 10 years ago, the man is believed to have shouted: “I’m an Englishman and you’re all idiots”.
He also shouted “answer the bloody questions” to MPs after an ill-tempered exchange between Labour leader Ed Miliband and David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Scotland Yard said he was being questioned at a central London police station after the incident at around 12.30pm.
A spokeswoman said: “We were called to reports of a disturbance in the House of Commons public gallery and a man was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to cause criminal damage.”
The man was dragged out after witnesses heard an “audible crack” as a bag of marbles hit the glass partition separating the public gallery from the chamber.
The £1.4mn security screen which protected MPs from the attempted attack was erected after then prime minister Tony Blair was targeted in 2004.
A House of Commons spokesman said: “Following a disturbance in the public gallery during Prime Ministers Questions today, a man was escorted from the gallery by doorkeepers and is currently in Metropolitan police custody. The incident did not disrupt the business of the House and there were no injuries sustained.”