Green Central: our environment blog

MPs expressed alarm at the latest security breach at the House of Commons today, which one senior ex-Cabinet minister claimed encouraged terrorists to commit future attacks on Parliament "with a grenade or machine gun".

Five environmental demonstrators from the campaign group Plane Stupid refused to come down from the Commons roof for almost three hours this morning after claiming to have gained access to Parliament as visitors, taking a lift and then climbing up on to the roof through a fire escape.

The protesters, who are campaigning against a third runway at Heathrow, eventually came down during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session after unfurling a huge banner over the windows of the Parliamentary press gallery, and throwing paper airplanes at pedestrians below.

Several had previously chained themselves to railings to stop police from removing them.

MPs were shocked by the breach, with some saying it showed potential terrorists the way to commit a future attack.

One senior former Cabinet minister, who as Leader of the Commons had been in charge of orchestrating security in the House, told Times Online: "I have no sympathy for them whatsoever, because it seems to me that what they are doing is demonstrating to people who are of much less goodwill then they how easy it is to get into the wrong areas of Parliament.

"Sooner or later, someone is going to get in with a grenade or machine gun. I take it very seriously, and I think it's very bad, and nobody cares more about climate change than I do."

The senior MP added that the protesters were "lying" when they claimed they had accessed the roof easily, and that they must have had assistance. Police have already said there is a "strong possibility" that they had been invited to the Commons as guests of pass-holders but the Sergeant at Arms, in charge of security, would this afternoon not confirm whether an investigation would be launched.

The former Cabinet Minister added: "I have been an MP here for more than 40 years. I know 98% of this building, but I have not got a clue how you get up on that roof.

"The notion that it is easy is just a nonsense, and I can only assume that they must have had outside help. If they have had help by some member of staff, then they should be sacked."

Gordon Brown added his own condemnation of the protest during Question Time as the demonstrators were being led away by police and arrested close by.

"The message should go out today, very clearly, that decisions in this country should be made in the chamber of this House and not on the roof of this House," the Prime Minister said. "It’s a very important message that should be sent out to those people who are protesting."

The Metropolitan Police said that it had arrested five people on trespassing offences, and that they were this afternoon being held in custody. They are believed to be Tamsin Omond, 23, Olivia Chessel, 20, Richard George, 27, Graham Thompson, 34, and Leo Murray, 31.

The demonstration came only three days after Greenpeace protesters managed to climb onto the roof of a British Airways passenger plane which had just landed at Heathrow following an internal flight.

But condemnation from Westminster was not universal, with John McDonnell, the firebrand left-wing MP whose Hayes and Harlington constituency includes Heathrow, saying: "Direct action is an inevitable consequence of Government refusing to listen to communities under threat, and to the threat to our planet from climate change.

"No minister has visited my constituency to meet the people who will lose their homes and communities as a result of the proposed third runway. (Transport Secretary) Ruth Kelly visited Heathrow to meet aviation businesses, but has failed to visit the communities under threat of demolition. If politicians refuse to listen, direct action becomes inevitable."

Today's protest came on the last day of a Government-run consultation into whether a third runway should be built. Demonstrators claim that the consultation is a sham, but the Government rejects the claim, saying it is free and fair.

Heathrow claims a third runway is vital as its current capacity is 99 per cent full and the airport's terminals are struggling with 40 per cent more passengers than they were designed to handle.

The campaign group said the plans would eventually see a sixth terminal and third runway built over homes, schools and churches in the villages of Sipson and Harmondsworth. The fifth terminal is due to be opened by the Queen next month.

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