Editorial Comment
‘It is vital that there should be proper security at Parliament, the heart and symbol of our democracy. This newspaper today has chosen to reveal some of these risks: it is in the public interest for voters and their MPs to be aware of the gravity of the problem, so that pressure can be exerted to tighten up security as speedily as possible.’
It is vital that there should be proper security at Parliament, the heart and symbol of our democracy. Progress has been made, but shocking vulnerabilities remain and parliamentary authorities haven’t done enough to tackle them. This newspaper today has chosen to reveal some of these risks: it is in the public interest for voters and their MPs to be aware of the gravity of the problem, so that pressure can be exerted to tighten up security as speedily as possible.
It is already established that the symbols of the British government are a target. A man was arrested on Friday night under the Terrorism Act after he drove at a marked police car near Buckingham Palace. He reached for a sword, shouting: “Allahu akbar.” And in March, the jihadist Khalid Masood ran down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before charging into the parliamentary estate. Masood was shot by a Cabinet member’s bodyguard, but not before he murdered a brave policeman. The Prime Minister was just yards away.
Today, we report that this year a mock attack was carried out on Parliament during a recess: it took just five minutes to break in and could have left more than 100 MPs dead. The simulation was not made known to voters or even to most MPs and peers. “It is not safe,” said one source. “We are sitting ducks in Parliament.”
Thankfully, some changes have been made to the security routine. For example, an armed policeman is now stationed close to river entrances and it has been acknowledged that the ID system has loopholes. But an official review has recommended a string of other alterations, and most of these now need to be implemented with immediate effect. Yes, the security services have otherwise done a superb job in making it harder to plot online or in person, but more needs to be done to defend Parliament itself, in case terrorists do manage to evade detection.
It is important that a balance is struck between protecting politicians and making sure that constituents enjoy access to the men and women who represent them. MPs cannot become entirely insulated from the outside world; schoolchildren and others must still be able to tour Parliament. But as our revelations show, there is an urgent need to drastically upgrade security at our houses of democracy.