Radical road plan to seal off Commons
PARLIAMENT would be protected by a new security ‘air lock’ under a radical plan being considered in the wake of the latest terror attack.
It would put the Commons’ Carriage Gates entrance – breached by terrorist Khalid Masood last week – behind a new security perimeter extending into Parliament Square.
And it could mean closing the road outside the Commons to all but parliamentary traffic. The proposals – drawn up with expert advice – will have to be agreed with Westminster city council chiefs, due to meet MPs this week to hammer out new security plans for the Palace of Westminster.
Commons insiders admitted that the ambitious new scheme was ‘no short-term solution’, with more immediate security improvements such as counter-terror bollards now expected. They also admit that the scheme may prove too controversial to achieve in full.
A source said: ‘Anything involving road closures will be controversial, so we’re talking of a long-term project that will take a long time.
‘But the idea would be to take the current Commons security perimeter out into Parliament Square, beyond the existing road.
‘The road would still be there but potentially only MPs and parliamentary staff would use it – and they would have to join it via secure entrances.
‘In effect, this would form a sealed air lock just for the Commons use and making a repeat of last week’s attack just not possible.’