MPs: Next fire disaster could be at Parliament

MPS have demanded action to safeguard the Houses of Parliament in the wake of the Notre Dame disaster – as it emerged 60 fires have broken out there over the past decade.

Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, said last year that potentially serious fires broke out in Parliament at a rate of once every two months. Any one of these could have escalated to destroy the 160-year-old building.

Labour MP Chris Bryant said: ‘Parts of the Palace are as old as Notre Dame and we must make sure that every fire precaution is taken as the major work goes ahead.’ He added: ‘God knows we’ve had enough warnings.’

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘The state of the building is very poor in Westminster and a fire risk is obviously huge with a building that has so much wood within it.’

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington said: ‘With each year that passes, the risk of a catastrophic fire grows.’

The original Houses of Parliament burned down in 1834, and experts warn

‘God knows we’ve had enough warnings’

that its magnificent replacement – erected in the 1850s – could suffer the same fate. One of the fires at Westminster was caused by an old electrical cable and was only detected by chance. A source warned: ‘Had it occurred at night or at the weekend it is highly likely that it would have caused major damage.’

In another case, a malfunctioning light on an obscure part of the roof caused an electrical fire that could have spread rapidly, had it not been detected at once. Last night a Parliamentary spokesman called fire safety a ‘key priority’ – but work to make the building safer has been repeatedly delayed over cost fears.

The work is now not expected to take place until the mid-2020s.

The rapid speed at which the fire took hold in Paris has also renewed fears for many of our historic cathedrals and stately homes.

York Minister was partially destroyed by fire in 1984, and Hampton Court was damaged two years later. Much of the Queen’s favourite residence of Windsor Castle was also ravaged by fire in 1992.

Three years ago, experts warned that historic buildings across England are at risk of burning down because their owners are blocking attempts to install ‘unsightly’ fire prevention methods.