Scottish Parliament evacuated after 'suspicious package' discovered

Due to the terms of the devolution agreement, the Scottish parliament has to consider all petitions that involve a proposed change in the law Getty Images

The Scottish Parliament has been evacuated after a  "suspicious package" was discovered in the building.

Police and fire services are on the scene after having been called around 11.35am on Tuesday.

Unconfirmed reports suggest three packages containing an unidentified white powder were sent to the offices of Conservative MSPs Halco Johnston, Liz Smith and Edward Mountain. 

Emergency procedures were put into place and MSPs told to leave the building.

A Police Scotland spokesman told The Independent: "Police in Edinburgh responded to the Scottish Parliament at around 11.35 a.m. on Tuesday 7th November following the discovery of a suspicious package.

"The building has been evacuated as a precaution and inquiries are continuing."

A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: “An incident has occurred requiring the evacuation of the MSP building at Holyrood. The MSP block is currently closed. Parliament staff are working to assess the situation.

"The Police are in attendance at the scene. The Parliament’s Incident Management Team has been activated. This is part of a pre-arranged process put in place, ready to deal with such developing situations.”

after three packages containing white power was sent to offices of Conservative staff.