A visitor to Parliament jumped to the aid of the stricken police officer moments after he was attacked.
Tony Davis, a coach for the British Lionhearts, the British boxing team, tried to revive the officer moments after seeing him stabbed with two knives.
Davis was identified from photographs by members of his team. They said he went to help the police officer moments after he was stabbed. One member of the team, who asked not to be named, said:
The attacker has two knives and was stabbing the officer. Then, shots rang out and the attacker fell to the floor.
Tony jumped over a fence and ran to the police officer and tried to revive him. The officer started to fit, but Tony was still working on him.
There were lots of officers around, but they were trying to revive both men.
Davis, who is a former serviceman, was leading the British Lionhearts boxing team at the House of Commons to attend a press conference.
Davis was with the team on a publicity visit ahead of an international bout.
“Tony hopped over the fence to assist straight away,” said a member of the team.
He was later seen being comforted by police officers as he wore a bloodied team T-shirt.
Parliamentary staff have been emailed by security saying people in Millbank and Tothill Street can leave the buildings. But everyone in the Palace of Westminster must continue to stay put until further notice. Welfare support has been offered to anyone who needs it. Most MPs and staff stuck in the offices and corridors of Norman Shaw North are pretty calm though - most glued to television sets or huddled round mobile phones, and a few quietly getting on with their work.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has called the attack on “our shared values”, but said they would never be destroyed.
Rudd has been in Lahore in Pakistan, but is currently making her way back to London.
She said:
We do not yet know the full impact of this terrible incident. But I know that the whole country will be thinking and praying for those who are affected as I am. I want to thank the emergency services for the quick response and pay tribute to their bravery their courage and their professionalism.
I’ve been briefed by the Met Police and by the security services and the security minister has also been updated. This is an ongoing incident and the government will continue to be updated. The Prime Minister will chair Cobra today.
The Government’s top priority is the security of the people and I urge everyone to remain calm but to be vigilant and if they see anything they are concerned about they should report it to the police. We have the best police, the best security services in the world and we must make sure that we let them get on with doing their job.
The British people will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. Values symbolised by the Houses of Parliament. Values that will never be destroyed.
The Ukip leader, Paul Nuttall, has issued this statement about the attack.
A terrible attack on our democracy has taken place today. My thoughts tonight go out to the victims of this terrorist atrocity and their families.
Once again the emergency services have demonstrated the extraordinary work they do on our behalf. That a police officer is among the dead underlines the debt of gratitude we all owe those who work to keep us safe.
In the coming hours and days more information will doubtlesly emerge about the attacker or attackers and their motivation. In the meantime everyone should resolve that terrorism will never beat us.
I’m in Westminster Hall waiting to be evacuated and have just bumped into Julian Lewis, the Conservative MP who chairs parliament’s defence committee. He told me:
It is always open to any lunatic with a fanatical outlook on life to mount an attack against innocent people in pursuit of their fixations and we have to be ever grateful to those who defend us on the perimeter of this building which was attacked before by the IRA and which has been anticipating this possibility ever since 11 September 2001.
We were recalled to parliament for an emergency session on Friday 14 September, and that was the first time we had he presence of police armed with sub machine guns openly guarding the Palace of Westminster - and they’ve been here ever since.
Steve White, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents tens of thousands of rank-and-file officers, has paid tribute to the officers involved in the incident.
He said:
No words can capture how members of the policing family will feel after today’s horrific events.
We have lived in the knowledge that an attack on UK soil has been highly likely for nearly three years. Everyone is firmly aware of this fact, but it makes it no less shocking when it becomes a reality.
This incident highlights the very real risks that police face each and every day. Officers will tonight take the opportunity to hug loved ones and seek comfort in the company of friends and family. But one will not. The pain of that officer’s family, friends and colleagues will be shared by us all.
Our hearts go out to their family and our thoughts are with them and their colleagues at this terrible time along with others who have been injured today.
Even if the background to these attacks has yet to be cleared up, I would like to emphasise on behalf of Germany and its citizens: we stand resolutely on Britain’s side in the fight against any form of terrorism.
Berlin mayor, Michael Müller, expressed his solidarity with the citizens of London while speaking at a campaign event with SPD candidate Martin Schulz, saying he had been due to meet the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, next week. “Especially in times like these, it is important that friends stand together,” Müller said.
From the French president, Francois Hollande:
"Le terrorisme nous concerne tous et la France sait ce que le peuple britannique a comme souffrance aujourd'hui" @fhollande#Londres
