AN MP was forced to send out a desperate rescue plea after finding herself trapped in the House of Commons library.
Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey was working late in the library catching up with case work and cramming for yesterday’s meeting with ambulance chiefs when she realised the doors had been locked.
Dr Coffey was unaware of her predicament until fellow MP, Lib Dem Tessa Munt, began struggling with the doors.
“She tried one door before turning to me and saying ‘it’s locked’,” she said. “Then she walked to the other one and it dawned on us that we had been locked in.
“Usually the staff have a walk through and make sure there is no-one still working but on this occasion they did not.”
Dr Coffey - an avid Twitter user - immmediately reached for her smart phone in a bid to get free: “You are not really supposed to use your mobile phone in the library but thank goodness I had it with me.”
She phoned for help and put a message on Twitter using the hashtag #librarygate.
Luckily for the Westminster Two help was at hand. Dr Coffey added: “After about 20 minutes we were let out but there were a few worrying moments.
“The library is a place where I enjoy working because it is so close to the chamber - but i am not sure I like it enough to spend the night there.”
And Ms Munt also too her brief incarciration in good spirits saying the only thing which had truly annoyed her about the incident had been the fact that someone had locked up with out first turning off the lights.
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