Security incident at UK parliament after ‘white powder’ found in parcel

The British parliament received a parcel containing an unknown white powder on Tuesday, triggering a security incident.

The suspicious package was delivered to the Parliament building in the heart of London at 1.36pm local time, police said, although it is unclear which department it was sent to.

The Metropolitan Police said that specialists had assessed the powder, and the House of Commons later confirmed that it was found to be non-harmful. 

The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command officers are now investigating the incident and the office to which the package has been sent, remains closed. The rest of the building remains open.

The complex was not evacuated or placed in a lockdown.

The incident comes just a day after an envelope containing a white powder was sent to the son of US President Donald Trump.

Vanessa Trump, wife of Donald Trump Jnr, was taken to hospital after opening the envelope addressed to her husband and complaining of difficulty breathing, but the powder was likewise found to be non-harmful.