A large swathe of central London near Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament was cordoned off in a security alert on Friday.
Police evacuated office workers and tourists between Whitehall and Trafalgar Square from 1pm for about 40 minutes.
Scotland Yard said the area was closed while officers investigated reports of a suspicious package. The incident is being stood down and cordons have been lifted.
Social media posts show the pavement empty and police directing people away from the area.
Spectator journalist James Heale tweeted that in the chaos, one customer was spotted carting his fish and chips on a plate out of the Red Lion, a pub popular with MPs.
A Met Police spokesman said: “Whitehall was closed for a short time while officers investigated a report of a suspicious package.
“The incident has now been stood down and cordons are being lifted.”
