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Westminster and Edinburgh parliaments suspended

With the British parliament building being stormed by an assailant with a knife, inside proceedings were halted. The Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle told lawmakers: “I am now going to suspend the sitting of the House. This House is now suspended, but please wait here.” The leader of the House of Commons, David Lidington later updated Members of Parliament: “ The very clear directive from the police and the director of security in the house is that we should remain under suspension and the chamber should remain in lockdown until it is safe to go back to normal proceedings.” During that lockdown armed police searched every room. Those who could be evacuated were, including Prime Minister Theresa May, who was rushed into her official car and driven to safety. In Edinburgh, Scotland’s devolved parliament suspended a planned debate and vote on independence. Officials said even though there was no specific threat to the Edinburgh parliament or to Scotland security measures has been increased as a precaution. Presiding Officer KenMacintoshMSP makes statement following today's incident at #Westminster pic.twitter.com/3nKe0MvxGj— Scottish Parliament (ScotParl) March 22, 2017