Police are investigating after a prankster planted a mobile phone in the House of Commons.
It’s thought the device was ‘purposely’ hidden near the front bench in order to broadcast ‘adult content’ during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday.
The phone was found during a routine sweep of the chamber and officers are now investigating how it came to be there.
The Metropolitan Police said: ‘At 10.25am on Wednesday, September 3 a mobile phone was found during a routine search of the House of Commons chamber by Met officers.
‘Enquiries have led officers to believe that the phone was purposely placed in a location with the aim of causing disruption to business in the House.
‘An investigation has been launched and enquiries are ongoing. We have updated the Speaker and Clerk of the House.’
A UK Parliament spokesperson said: ‘Parliament is a public building and we facilitate the visits of thousands of people to the estate each week.
‘The safety and security of everyone who works or visits here remains our top priority, and we have robust and proactive security measures in place – this includes ensuring that visitors and their belongings are security screened, along with monitoring and routine searches of areas that are open to the public.
‘Whilst we cannot comment on the detail of our processes, we can confirm that a mobile phone was removed from the Commons Chamber on September 3 – demonstrating the effectiveness of the security measures we have in operation.’
Football fans may well remember a similar prank taking place during pre-match coverage of an FA Cup match between Wolves and Liverpool, which was interrupted by ‘porn noises’ for almost 15 minutes back in January 2023.
The BBC was forced to apologise for the intermittent interruptions, and presenter Gary Lineker revealed afterwards that the noises came from a small mobile phone hidden in the studio.
YouTube prankster Jarvo69 later took credit for the incident, sharing a video of him calling a burner phone and triggering the noises as it rang.
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He said he went into Molineux stadium with a friend, pretending to be part of a film crew and filming fake interviews, before planting the device.
A report into the incident – which the BBC tried to keep a secret – revealed the prankster was able to move ‘freely’ and ‘unchallenged’ around the stadium before hiding the phone on set.
Later that year, the Euro 2024 draw was interrupted by ‘porn noises’ blaring over the speakers, and in January 2024 the Bowls World Championships were interrupted by ‘porn noises’ during a live BBC broadcast.
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