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News Release 19th May 2004PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTION FOILED BY PURPLE POWDERMichael Fabricant had drawn Question 7 today (Wednesday 19th May) to the Prime Minister. He was sitting in his usual place - just a few feet - from Tony Blair ready to ask his question when purple powder bombs were thrown into the House of Commons Chamber from the visitors' gallery. One hit Tony Blair on the shoulder and the powder quickly spread through the Chamber. "I breathed some of it in as did many of us. I can still feel it on the back of my throat" says Michael Fabricant. "David Maclean, our Chief Whip and a former army officer, ordered us to evacuate the Chamber quickly to avoid further contamination. At the moment I have no idea what the purple powder is. I am assuming and hoping it is harmless. "Despite the erection of a screen, someone was able to access the gallery beyond the screen and probably had a pass issued by an MP. There will clearly be an investigation about this. My fear now is that the consequence will be that Parliament will be made so secure, it will be increasingly difficult for the public to participate in the functioning of democracy in the House of Commons. "I hope that the disconnect that exists between the work of MPs in Westminster and the general public will not be made worse by this attack. It would be a shame if our relatively open House of Commons were restricted by the fear of terrorist activities. It's important we get the balance right between security for the Government and Opposition in Westminster and access to the general public." |
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