BRITAIN: Britain's internal security service, MI5, and anti-terrorist police chiefs launched a major review of Westminster security yesterday after Mr Tony Blair was hit by a purple-coloured flour bomb during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons.
The huge and chilling security breach perpetrated by two political activists from Fathers 4 Justice also triggered a furious political inquest.
"Our Prime Minister's life was put in danger - this must never happen again," declared angry Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mr Mark Oaten, as stunned MPs realised they had witnessed a full dress rehearsal for what could have been an anthrax attack.
It was the risk of such an attack, spelt out by MI5, which persuaded MPs to erect the new £600,000 security screen in front of the Strangers (or public visitors) gallery during the Easter recess.
But along with police armed with machine guns, airport-type security screening and concrete barricades it proved no defence yesterday when the two men arrested staged their protest from in front of the screen from the three remaining rows of seats reserved for dignitaries, members of the House of Lords and their guests.
Fathers 4 Justice campaigns against what it sees as unequal treatment by the courts and social services of men whose marriages have broken down, compared to treatment given to women, particularly with regard to access to children.
A "deeply distressed" Labour peer and former MP, Lady Golding, offered her "unreserved apologies" when it emerged the two men were her guests.
There were reports Lady Golding sponsored their Westminster visit as a prize in a charitable draw, in breach of Palace of Westminster rules.
The Home Secretary, Mr David Blunkett, indicated further restrictions were now inevitable on public access to parliament, while insisting the expertise was available had the authorities actually been faced with some form of biological attack.
If anthrax, ricin or some other substance had been thrown into the Commons chamber Mr Blunkett said: "There would have been immediate action taken, both in terms of decontamination and in terms of the substances required to provide a counter-reaction."