Parliamentary tours cancelled as man remains metres up Elizabeth Tower

Video shows a barefoot man standing on a ledge holding a Palestine flag up the tower, in an apparent act of protest.

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Emergency services have been at the Palace of Westminster for more than four hours after a man scaled Elizabeth Tower holding a Palestine flag.

Video footage shows a barefoot man stood on a ledge several metres up the tower, which houses Big Ben, in an apparent act of protest.

Parliamentary tours on Saturday have been cancelled as a result of the incident, a Parliamentary spokesperson said.

At least nine emergency service vehicles lined Bridge Street in central London and crowds looked on from beyond the police cordon.

Pictures appear to show the man with blood coming from his foot.

No further details about any injuries have been revealed, as negotiators were seen speaking to the man.

A Parliamentary spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary Estate this morning, which is being handled by the Metropolitan Police, assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service.

“Parliament takes security extremely seriously, however we do not comment on the specifics of our security measures or mitigations.

“As a result of this incident, tours of the Parliamentary Estate today have unfortunately had to be cancelled.”

People watch a man with a Palestine flag after he climbed up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster in London (James Manning/PA)

PA Wire

The whole of Westminster Bridge was closed later in the morning as crews continued to deal with the incident.

There is heavy traffic in the surrounding area due to road closures, and London bus routes 3, 11, 148, C10 and 159 are on diversion.

It is understood one exit of Westminster Tube station is closed, but there is no disruption to Tube services and passengers can use other exits.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “At 7.24am on Saturday March 8 officers were alerted to a man climbing up the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament.

“Officers are at the scene working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion. They are being assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service.”

At around 10am on Saturday, three emergency personnel were lifted several metres up on a fire brigade aerial ladder platform with one person using a megaphone to speak to the man on the ledge.

Photographs show the man sat on the ledge with the flag and a keffiyeh wrapped around the decorative stonework on the tower.

The man was still on the ledge when the platform was lowered at around 11.45am.

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade (LFB) said: “Firefighters are responding alongside the Metropolitan Police Service to reports of a person scaling the Palace of Westminster.”

Crews from Lambeth, Chelsea, Soho and Islington fire stations have been deployed, LFB added.

As the clock struck 2pm, a small team of negotiators were trying to talk the protester down from Big Ben.

With his flag waving in the breeze, he was still clinging to his perch about 15 metres from the ground as the negotiators spoke to him from the top of a fire engine ladder.

Shouts of “Free Palestine” and “You Are A Hero” could be heard from a small group of supporters who were pinned behind the police cordon at Victoria Embankment.

Uniformed officers were guarding the taped cordon, which included the Houses of Parliament and Parliament Square.

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