A street-artist friend of Banksy was able to smoke a cannabis joint in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions.

?Cartrain?, 18, smuggled the drugs past security officers and lit up in the public gallery as Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg ? standing in for David Cameron ? was taking questions from MPs yesterday lunchtime.

Cartrain and a friend were finally hauled out by police after he stood up and shouted ?decriminalise cannabis?, although the glass security screen meant few in the chamber below could hear his protest and the session was not interrupted. The Leytonstone teenager, who once removed part of Damien Hirst's Tate Britain installation Pharmacy in a separate protest, was later released with a warning.

He said: ?The security was tighter than at an airport ? there were about 20 cops searching people, metal detectors, the works ? but I couldn't believe how easy it was.

?I lit up right in front of Nick Clegg. I must have taken a good four or five pulls on the spliff before the guards realised what I was doing, and then I went quietly. They said they would put me in a cell under Big Ben, which I said sounds amazing, like the most expensive hotel in London, but then they decided to let me go when they realised I was quite keen to be arrested.?

His police stop and account form, signed by an officer of the Met's SO17 Palace of Westminster division, records: ?Stopped in strangers gallery after seen smoking cannabis.?

A spokesman for the House of Commons said: ?Two people were removed from the public gallery of the Commons today for inappropriate behaviour. They were handed over to the police, cautioned and given advice about drugs.?

Cartrain's previous stunts include sneaking a fake exhibit into the British Museum.

Last year artists including Banksy rallied to support him after he was arrested for taking a packet of pencils ? valued at £500,000 ? from Hirst's exhibition after the former Young British Artist's representatives threatened to sue Cartrain for making collages including photos of Hirst's work.

News:
www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23896643-banksys-friend-smokes-spliff-in-public-gallery-as-clegg-addresses-the-commons.do

Reading this on your mobile device? Try London Evening Standard now by clicking ThisIsLondon.mwap.at.

Didn't Banksy pull this exact stunt recently?

Banksy - Royal Visit Glastonbury
www.youtube.com/user/banksyfilm#p/u/3/IRjY6x0YuQY

Cartrain - when will you attempt something original?

Young man drugs are illegal and I myself and the great british daily mail reading public serious deplore your displicable behaviour. What would your mother say? The shame!

Jenkins, can you get another bottle of port from the cellar I am nearly dry here!

Cartrain

I used to defend your antics on the forum. Figured you were trying to get your bearings in the art world. Plus you were having a fair crack at it. You took risks a lot of other "artists" on the forum were not willing to take. But recently, your antics have left me with a sour taste in my mouth. You shouldn't need to rely on half-assed publicity stunts. You're in a place now where you can and should let your artwork and talent speak for itself.

Take it from me. I work in PR. These stunts are becoming a little too transparent. Focus on the art. You'll get there. You have a bunch of people in your corner.

I'm not your biggest fan but fair play man.
I was recently arrested and had "a small amount cannabis" on me. Night in the cells...

i'm all for decriminalising weed but to go to parliment and spark up is just plain stupid. did you think it'd actually work?
What did you hope to achieve apart from self promotion? to both promote and aim to attach banksys name to it is just pure stupid and giving the scene a bad name.
wreckless egit IMO

Anything to get out of double Maths eh C.

Not wanting to light a fire, but this is performance art, demanding media participation and succeeding. HYB should chill. Last I saw, cartrains just smoked dope in parliament, a good old fashioned prank. Just so happens he knows how to oil the wheels. Fair play young man, conceptually you just smashed it.

New print release coming soon! collaboration with vagabond.. Still needs a few alterations - Cameron and Clegg still need to be switched round They are in the wrong place!

Nice One, subtle it is not, but it does the job!
Mind you substitute the nation for Clegg and you have the truth..

Doesn't say much really, it would have been better if they were fucking the people....

Why do they need to be switched round? Is Clegg shafting Cameron in your opinion?

go on cammy give it some

The fact that this is a print says quite a lot about where were at. It's funny, but why would any one want this on their walls?
It's a fly poster campaign, it's stickers, it's postcards, a CD cover, etc; but it's not something worth buying.

This is student politics at its most crass.