MPs vote to move out of Commons
MPs yesterday voted to leave the House of Commons for the first time in almost eight decades to allow a £6billion refurbishment to go ahead.
The move will see Parliament sit in a building on nearby Whitehall for at least five years as the ‘overdue’ renovations are carried out.
MPs last moved out in 1941 after the building was damaged in a German air raid.
Supporters of the transfer, set for 2025, said it was necessary due to the dilapidated state of the property.
But Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh warned the work would likely take longer, saying: ‘I predict we will be out for ten or even 12 years.’
MPS last night voted to leave the House of Commons for the first time since the Second World War to allow for a multibillion pound refurbishment.
They backed vacating the Palace of Westminster so that works estimated at up to £6billion can be carried out.
The move is expected to take place around 2025 and last for at least five years, with MPs relocated to a temporary building nearby on Whitehall.
MPs last left the Commons chamber after it was bombed in May 1941, when they moved to the House of Lords.
Last night critics of the project warned it could take up to 12 years, cost up to £12billion and spark a backlash from constituents at a time of ‘unparalleled austerity’.
But supporters said it was necessary because of the dilapidated state of the building which was built in the 1840s.
MPs were given a free vote after yesterday’s debate. Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh argued that the Com- mons debating chamber should remain in the Palace of Westminster or nearby Portcullis House during the works.
‘Do not believe it will only be for five years,’ he said. ‘I predict that we will be out of this building for ten or even 12 years.
‘And we have to say to our constituents, do we really believe at this time of unparalleled austerity... we should now take the decision to spend upfront, this evening, £5billion on our own working place?’
Opening the debate, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said there are ‘critical risks’ to the building, including asbestos in the walls and fire dangers requiring 24-hour patrols of the building. Pipes and wires are decades past their lifespan, she said.
Insisting there would be no ‘blank cheque’ for the work, she added: ‘The Palace of Westminster is the seat of our democracy, an iconic, world famous building, and it is in dire need of repair.’
Former First Secretary of State Damian Green suggested the building was a ‘death trap’. But SNP MP Pete Wishart said the project would cost ‘eye-watering sums’ that could spiral to up to £12billion and would enrage constituents.
Labour’s Meg Hillier, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, argued for all MPs and peers to move out, calling it ‘the best and the most cost-effective delivery option’.
MPs who backed leaving the Palace of Westminster entirely said it would be much cheaper than trying to conduct repairs piecemeal over a longer time period.
The vote means a new Olympic-style delivery authority will be set up to draw up detailed plans and costings.
One proposal put forward by a firm of architects in 2016 was for MPs and peers to move into a temporary ‘floating parliament’ in a 92,000 sq ft glass bubble on the Thames. This option is not currently being considered by the parliamentary authorities.