A man has been detained by police after reportedly pouring petrol over himself outside parliament.
Tory MP Huw Merriman tweeted about the incident which happened outside the Old Carriage Gates, the same area where a PC was stabbed to death in a terror attack in 2017.
He wrote: “Man next to me at Parliament’s carriage gates appears to have poured (what smells like) petrol on himself. Incredibly brave response from police, who are now helping him.”
The Met Police later confirmed on Twitter that a man had been detained under the Mental Health Act after dousing himself “with what appeared to be a flammable liquid”.
It added: “The man, who had a lighter, was sprayed with a fire extinguisher. There was no ignition and the man was detained.
“No reports of any injuries.”