Houses of Parliament cops seize knives and pepper spray from guests

Knives and pepper spray were among weapons seized by police from visitors trying to take them into Parliament last year, it can be revealed.

Around a million people enter the Parliamentary Estate every year as visitors – on top of the thousands of members and staff of the two Houses of Parliament. All visitors must go through airport-style scanners before entering the building to detect any contraband.

Releasing the list under Freedom of Information laws, Scotland Yard said most of the the weapons were found during security screenings. They added: “These visitors are usually foreign nationals having such items in their possession and unknowingly committing an offence in the UK.”

The force also released a list of offence people had been arrested for on the Parliamentary Estate between December 2022 and August last year. The list included crimes of violence without injury, shoplifting, criminal damage and racial or religious abuse.

The Met declined to say how many people had been arrested for the crimes for security reasons – or to identify they were MPs, peers, staff or members of the public.

Last week the Commons voted to ban MPs who had been arrested for serious crimes from the Parliamentary Estate. It means if an MP has been arrested for a violent or sexual offence, a Commons panel will decide whether to bar them from the building.