Still no costs or timeframe for refurb of Westminster

THE full cost of the multi-billion-pound refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster — and how long the work will take — will not be revealed until 2021, MPs have been told.

A draft Bill to set up organisations to oversee the project could be introduced by the end of October, Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom told the Commons Finance Committee.

But she said that it would take another three years for the full scope of the project to be finalised and put before MPs.

The Grade 1 listed palace in the heart of London is set to close in the mid-2020s as it undergoes a massive restoration programme, estimated currently to take at least six years.

Mrs Leadsom told the committee: “Once the bodies are set up in statute, there is then a process to get to the outline business case that both houses would be voting on.

“That is likely to take about three years for that full business case to be set out. It is only at that point we will have proper costings and proper timings.”

Tom Healey, director of the restoration and renewal project, who joined Mrs Leadsom for questions from MPs, agreed with her time estimate.

Mrs Leadsom also told the committee that it was hoped that the Elizabeth Tower, home of Big Ben, would remain open to the public while the palace is being restored.