CHATHAM and Aylesford Labour MP Jonathan Shaw has called for an inquiry after a condom filled with purple flour was thrown at Tony Blair during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The House of Commons was evacuated after a protester sitting in the public gallery shouted abuse at the packed chamber before hurling the purple powder which hit Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown directly.

The Prime Minister and opposition leader Michael Howard managed to escape a direct hit from the substance, which tests revealed to be harmless.

Mr Shaw was in the House of Commons when the incident happened.

He said: “It was just at the end of the final exchanges between Michael Howard and Tony Blair. There was a shout from behind the Laobur benches and then this dust was thrown down.

“There was no real panic but it is of concern that the individual in question must have been a guest of either an MP or a peer because it came from the seats reserved for guests, not the public galley.”

He added: “There will have to be an inquiry. It does bring home the fact that we are vulnerable.”

North Thanet MP and vice chairman of the Conservative Party, Roger Gale, said: “Obviously there are real and serious concerns about security in the chamber and these will have to be addressed.

“I witnessed a number of policemen heading into the chamber area as MPs members were leaving: none of them appeared to be wearing protective clothing or respirators.

“Happily it looks as though the powder in the chamber was harmless - but had it contained a harmful agent of any kind then the officers of the House and the police charged with the investigation might have been placed in unnecessary danger."

Gravesham MP Chris Pond, who was also present, said: "The chamber was immediately cleared and the protester taken away by the Serjeant at Arms.

"The chamber was packed at the time and there must have been more than 500 MPs in there."

Faversham and Mid Kent Conservative MP Hugh Robertson said: “The Prime Minister seemed very calm about it.

"When the first bag exploded I’m not sure he noticed and when the second landed he just blanched.

"There was no real sense of panic -- everybody just got up and filed out.”

The protest group Fathers For Justice have claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident will cause some embarrassment to security at the Houses of Parliament as the attack comes just weeks after screens protecting the chamber were installed.

But some unrestricted seats remain which are allocated to MPs who can personally vouch for visitors.

KM-fm's James Phillis has this report...