‘Shocking’ film shows raw sewage flowing into crumbling Parliament

IT HAS often been said that Westminster politics is little better than a cesspit, but the Houses of Parliament are now in such poor condition that sewage really is flowing on the floors.

‘Shocking’ footage obtained by The Mail on Sunday shows waste seeping into a basement.

The disclosure comes amid an ongoing row over plans to force MPs and peers to vacate the crumbling 19th Century Palace of Westminster while it is shut for £4billion of repairs.

The works have been stalled amid controversy over the huge price tag and many MPs’ reluctance to move out. However, officials working on the proposed Restoration and Renewal project for the building say the leak shows the need for urgent intervention, pointing out that the Palace still uses a ‘sewage ejector pump’ installed in 1886.

Last night, House of Lords Speaker Norman Fowler said the incident showed it was ‘increasingly urgent’ that MPs and peers reached a decision on the restoration of Parliament. He added: ‘The shocking sight of raw sewage leaking into Parliament’s basement is just one of the many serious incidents our maintenance team deal with.

‘This make-do-and-mend approach cannot continue indefinitely without real risk to the Palace of Westminster.’

The Mail on Sunday last week revealed plans for a ‘pop-up Parliament’ under a cathedral of glass on Horse Guards Parade, a few hundred yards from Westminster.

The brainchild of property magnate Sir John Ritblat and architect Norman Foster, it would provide a temporary home for peers and MPs while the works are carried out.