IT was just after 2.40 last Wednesday afternoon when the division bells rang at Westminster.
The bells summon MPs to vote and wherever they are on what’s known as the Parliamentary estate they have exactly eight minutes to pass through the lobbies beside the House of Commons chamber before the lobby doors are locked and the count takes place.
Like hundreds of MPs that afternoon, when the bell sounded I set off on a journey I’ve made many, many times before, using the underground passage which connects the buildings where most MPs have their offices on the north side of Westminster Bridge Road to the Palace of Westminster and the Commons.
As we walked through, none of us were aware that just a few feet above our heads Khalid Masood had just brought his murderous drive across Westminster Bridge to a shuddering halt by ramming the railings which surround the Palace and then, on foot, entered New Palace Yard just in front of what’s commonly known as Big Ben.
As we emerged from the underground passage and walked through the colonnade to the House we became aware of commotion just 30 or so yards away to our right. We saw Masood, we saw policemen, we heard the three shots and then the police telling us to run.
We didn’t hang about, running into the House, passing through the lobbies and in due course into Westminster Hall where MPs, Lords, staff, visitors and officials were locked down for three hours while armed police completed a sweep of the estate to ensure it was safe.
Luckily, I was with my colleague Kevin Hollinrake MP for Thirsk and Malton and thanks to his iPad we were able to Skype our families to let them know we were safe.
It was all very surreal and then we were shepherded across the corner of Parliament Square to Westminster Abbey and we were detained another couple of hours before being allowed to get way at about 8pm I have never known Westminster to be so eerily quiet.
Reflecting on that terrible, momentous day and with the benefit of hindsight I think we can draw a number of conclusions.
Firstly, the way the police and the Parliamentary staff reacted to the threat was superb with the ultimate sacrifice being made by PC Palmer. We owe them all a lot.
Secondly, we should acknowledge that up and until last Wednesday, we have been lucky not have suffered a terrorist attack on Parliament. We have always wanted Parliament to be as open and accessible to the people it serves but that also makes it vulnerable. The security review will have to look at that balance between accessibility and security.
As well as luck, we should also acknowledge the great record of our security services in preventing attacks before they are even launched.
Lastly, we need to admit to the scale of the threat which is homegrown, not imported from overseas. Masood was a Brit and it seems likely he was radicalised in a British jail.
To me it underlines the importance of fully integrating our minorities and those from ethnic backgrounds into British values and also the increasing difficulty our security services face in keeping tabs on those who would do us and our way of life harm.