Jacob Rees-Mogg has blown a massive hole in plans for the renovation of parliament, telling MPs they may have to meet virtually on a lockdown-style video link while the Palace of Westminster is closed for works which are expected to last six years or more. The Leader of the Commons said that a £1.5bn scheme to house parliament’s two chambers elsewhere in Westminster, set out in a report today, were “for the birds”. His comments came after Boris...
The need to permanently repair the Palace of Westminster has been laid bare in a new report which reveals the soaring costs of temporary works.
A Strategic Review of the restoration and renewal project, reveals that the cost of maintenance and temporary repairs to Parliament has more than doubled in three years and is now costing £127M a year.
Consequently the report calls for both Houses of Parliament to temporarily relocate while permanent repairs are carried out.
It warns that remaining on-site through restoration work would cost billions more and take decades longer to complete.
The review backs plans to relocate MPs to Parliament’s northern estate, and Peers in temporary accommodation at the QEII Conference Centre.