Police use Taser on suspect inside Carriage Gates at Parliament

A man arrested by armed police near an entrance to the Houses of Parliament remains in custody awaiting a mental health check, police said.

About a dozen officers swarmed around the suspect as he was held against a fence inside the Carriage Gates on Tuesday.

The man was Tasered after he ran toward officers and failed to stop, the Metropolitan Police said.

The entrance was the scene of a terrorist atrocity in March 2017 when Khalid Masood murdered unarmed police officer Keith Palmer.

At the time there was shock at the lack of an armed presence near the gate, and chief coroner Mark Lucraft QC found shortcomings in security at the site meant marksmen did not know where they were supposed to patrol.

Since the attack, security at the site has been beefed up, with a permanent armed presence at the entrance.

The man was taken away in a police car shortly after 12.15pm.

The incident is not believed to be terror-related.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman: “At around 11.55am, a man tried to gain entry to the grounds of the Palace of Westminster via Carriage Gates, and ran towards officers posted there.

“He did not comply with officers’ requests to stop. A Taser was deployed.

“The man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of trespassing at a protected site, and taken to a police station where he remains.

“The arrested man will have a mental health assessment.”