POLICE locked down the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham because of a “potential security alert” on Monday afternoon.
Attendees were locked in the International Conference Centre (ICC), where the event is being held.
The security restrictions, which prevented delegates from entering and leaving the building, were lifted just after 5pm.
The alert was first raised around 4pm.
The Birmingham Police force later confirmed that the security threat was a false alarm.
The Conservative Party conference centre is in lockdown due to an unknown security incident - nobody allowed to enter or leave "until further notice" pic.twitter.com/Y68AapXdTu
— Matt Dathan (@matt_dathan) October 3, 2022
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's speech went ahead despite the lockdown as planned as crowds began to build outside the building.
Most high-profile party figures are understood to be in attendance at the event.
The nature of the incident is not known.
The force said: "We were made aware of a potential security threat earlier this afternoon and the decision was made to protect delegates and visitors to the ICC by preventing entry and exit at the centre until the threat could be negated #CPC22.
"Public safety is our primary concern and we are pleased to say the report ended without incident. We apologise for any inconvenience it may have caused."
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