Scotland Yard last night launched an inquiry into a green "slime" attack on Lord Mandelson by a climate change protester. (With video)
Scotland Yard last night launched an inquiry into a green "slime" attack on Lord Mandelson by a climate change protester.
The incident immediately raised concerns about ministerial security as the Business Secretary appeared to have none.
Downing Street denied reports that a special review of ministerial security was under way because of the incident but told The Herald how safety measures for ministers were "under constant review".
The attack occurred yesterday morning outside the Royal Society in central London as Lord Mandelson arrived at a summit to launch the UK Government's low carbon industrial strategy.
Seconds after getting out of his ministerial car, Leila Deen from the campaign group Plane Stupid walked forward and threw a cup of green-coloured custard in the minister's face. She then left unchallenged.
A short time later, minus his coat which caught most of the liquid, Lord Mandelson emerged and laughed off the incident, saying: "Whilst I'm prepared to take my fair share of the green revolution onto my shoulders, I'm less keen on having it on my face."
On the issue of security, he urged people not to overreact, adding: "I lived with permanent round-the-clock security when I was Northern Ireland Secretary. I don't think I need to go back to that."
Gordon Brown, who was attending the summit, also made light of the attack, saying: "If anybody doubted the greening of Peter Mandelson and his willingness to take the green agenda on his shoulders, we've seen it in practice on our television screens already this morning."
However, ex-Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott - who famously punched a protester who hit him with an egg during the 2001 General Election campaign - took the incident more seriously.
He pointed out that, in the moments after he was struck, Lord Mandelson would not have known if it was a serious attack or not.
"He couldn't have known whether that was acid being thrown in his face," insisted the Hull MP.
"In my case when they hit me with an egg, it was a soft liquid running down my neck and (I) wondered perhaps whether that was blood and that I'd been cut," he added.
Last night, a spokesman for the Metropolitan force said: "Police are investigating circumstances surrounding an incident in Carlton House Terrace, SW1, at about 8am today. Officers from Westminster CID investigate. There have been no arrests. No complaint has been received."
However, the police involvement came after Mr Prescott branded the attack "totally unacceptable" and said Ms Deen should have been arrested for assault on the spot.
"What is totally unacceptable is the way the woman walked away, claiming it was her right in democracy. She should have been arrested. It is not acceptable that she should be allowed to walk away after an assault," he said on his video blog.
"If it had been acid, would she still be walking away? We had better get a grip of this situation and, frankly, public people shouldn't be expected to be physically assaulted with such impunity."
After her protest, Ms Deen told reporters: "The only thing green about Peter Mandelson is the slime coursing through his veins. He was trying to make political capital out of this summit but we are just not prepared to let him get away with it."
She explained that her attack was in protest at a reported meeting between Lord Mandelson and lobbyists for BAA, which owns Heathrow airport.
"We know that Mandelson is best buddies with BAA's top lobbyist Roland Rudd and reports suggest it was him who bullied Ed Miliband (the Enenrgy Secretary) into accepting a third runway. We can't let the Prince of Darkness cast his shadow over west London," she said.
Earlier this week, Ms Deen was one of three Plane Stupid protesters who sounded horns at an environment conference during a speech by Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary.
The campaign group has mounted a number of high-profile protests and stunts in recent years, including an attempt by one activist to glue himself to the Prime Minister at a Downing St reception.
At yesterday's summit, intended to highlight the importance of the burgeoning low carbon sector to the UK economy, independent research was presented, showing that 400,000 new "green" jobs could be created over the next decade. According to the report, Britain already has the world's sixth largest low carbon and environmental goods and services sector which was worth £107bn in 2007/08 and could grow by another £45bn over the coming decade.
Mr Miliband said the move to a low-carbon economy was the way to secure recovery from the recession.
"Tackling climate change doesn't just make moral sense, it makes economic sense too," he said.
Lord Mandelson added: "Low carbon is not a sector of our economy, it is, or will be, our whole economy, and a global market.
"A low carbon industrial strategy must seize the opportunities that will come with change. That requires a new industrial activism for a new green industrial revolution."
