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Originally Posted by Chris T
I think the police can go anywhere they want if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a criminal offence is in progress. They aren't vampires 
The problem here is that the House of Commons is in a building called the Palace of Westminster. As a Royal palace it's exempt from all kinds of laws that apply elsewhere (most disgracefully, a lot of Health and Safety at Work legislation doesn't apply, so if you ever get a job there don't injure yourself). |
Actually, until recently, a lot of the law (particularly the laws governing listed buildings and planning permission) did not cover a lot of government owned buildings. Hence, despite the fact it was (and is) grade 1 listed, the building I work in now was badly damaged by the Ministry of Defence when they used it as part of the Royal Naval College. Anyway, I digress.
Actually, going back to my college days. I don't know what would have happened had the police actually been called to an incident, as it didn't happen while I was there, but I suspect that if a crime were being commited, or had been commited, the college would have happily invited the police in anyway (in fact they did actively encourage the police to come in at any time). The same may be true of Parliament.
However, I do think you are right.