Labour peer is said to have received a ‘racist letter’ laced with suspicious powder. 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 on the 7th of July.
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.“ The alert was stood down after about an hour.
Lord Ahmed was the first Muslim member of the House of Lords. A House of Lords Spokesperson said: “Peers car park and parts of the terrace were closed temporarily but have now been reopened”. The closure was put in place while a package containing a white powder was investigated by specialist police units, which is standard procedure.
“The powder was found to be non-harmful.” Police confirmed they were investigating a suspicious package delivered to Parliament at around 12.30pm. A spokesman for the Met said there were no reports of anyone suffering any illness or injuries.
