Holden raised the issue during a recent Commons debate, warning that the bridge – which attracts millions of visitors each year – has become a magnet for unregulated street commerce that operates in the shadow of the anti‑terror barriers installed after the 2017 extremist attack that killed five people, including PC Keith Palmer.
The anti‑terror barriers, erected in the wake of the 2017 knife attack near the Elizabeth Tower, were intended to protect the historic crossing and the surrounding parliamentary precinct. Despite their presence, Holden says a “plethora of illegal activity” continues unabated, with dodgy ice‑cream vans, conmen and unlicensed pedicabs pulling up directly beside the Parliament building.
When Holden pressed the Cabinet Office for a response, officials told him the matter was “a matter for the police”, indicating that law‑enforcement agencies, rather than central government, are responsible for enforcing licensing and public‑order rules on the bridge.
“It beggars belief that amongst a plethora of illegal activity, dodgy ice‑cream vans, alongside conmen and unregulated pedicabs are simply being allowed to pull up on Westminster Bridge, right next to Parliament and inside the Government’s own secure zone and no‑one does anything,” Holden said in the Commons.
Jonathan Bartley, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Safer, Thriving Neighbourhoods, echoed the concerns, adding that the traders “exploit tourists, operate outside the licensing regime designed to protect the public and cause obstruction on one of the most iconic and busiest routes into our borough.”
Both officials highlighted the tension between the bridge’s role as a major tourist attraction and the need to maintain security and order within the Government Secure Zone, calling for clearer enforcement mechanisms to address the illegal trading that threatens public safety and the visitor experience.