The Houses of Parliament have fully re-opened after alarms were raised over a suspicious package
The Houses of Parliament have now fully re-opened after a security alert centred on a suspect package earlier today.
Police were called around 12.30 today in relation to a package delivered to the Houses of Parliament.
The security alert resulted in parts of the House of Lords car park and terrace being shut off.
Some peers were left locked outside of the palace of Westminster and forced to remain on the terrace overlooking the Thames while the alert was in place.
However, once police had examined the contents of the package, they were deemed non-suspicious, with the all clear being given just before 14.00.
A spokesman for the House of Lords said: "The closure was put in place while a package containing a white powder was investigated by specialist police units, which is standard procedure. The powder was found to be non-harmful.”
It comes just over two weeks after Westminster Bridge was closed down due to fears around a "suspicious vehicle".