At least one dead and several others hurt in major terror incident outside UK Parliament

A policeman has been stabbed and his attacker shot by officers after a major terrorist incident at the Houses of Parliament. The attacker mowed down several pedestrians as he drove a grey Hyundai i40 across Westminster Bridge before crashing it into railings then running through the gates of the Palace of Westminster and stabbing the officer. Eyewitnesses said he was shot by police as he approached a second officer, while clutching his knife. The Commons leader, David Lidington, told MPs that a “police officer has been stabbed” and the “alleged assailant was shot by armed police” following a serious incident within the parliamentary estate.

There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it would be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the house security authorities about what is going on

The Commons leader, David Lidington

Scotland Yard said police had been called to a firearms incident on Westminster Bridge amid reports of several people injured. Lidington said: “There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster but I hope colleagues on all sides will appreciate that it would be wrong of me to go into further details until we have confirmation from the police and from the house security authorities about what is going on.” Pictures emerged after the incident showing people lying injured on Westminster bridge, some of them bleeding. At least two women and two men were among those injured. One picture appeared to show a woman underneath a bus. Police asked people to avoid the following areas: Parliament Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Victoria Street up to the junction with Broadway and the Victoria Embankment up to Embankment tube.