The Palace of Westminster risks a “Notre Dame-style fire” if MPs fail to address the need for urgent refurbishments, a parliamentary committee has warned.
According to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), The King could be plunged into darkness during the Houses of Parliament’s grand state opening in future if delays to a costly renovation programme are not resolved.
The group says the risk of a “catastrophic event” that causes injury in Westminster or hampers the functioning of democracy remains, adding that, at best, the historic building will crumble into managed decline without action.
MPs first voted to leave Parliament for the building to undergo extensive repairs in 2018, but disagreement has continued over whether this should go ahead.
The PAC has previously warned of a “real and rising risk” that the Palace could be destroyed before the Restoration and Renewal programme gets underway.
In its latest report, the committee warns that the weekly cost of maintaining the parliamentary estate is expected to rise from the current £1.5million to £2million in the coming years.
Each year the programme is delayed will add £420million to the lifetime costs of delivering the scheme, the PAC said.
The report comes ahead of a series of crunch votes in Parliament to decide the future direction of the Restoration and Renewal programme, which were expected around Easter earlier this year, but have been delayed.
Chair of the PAC, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said: “I would urge all those who believe a decision on how to proceed should be further delayed to digest the figures in our report, showing that each kick of the can down the road costs hundreds of millions in public money.
“They should then imagine the blow suffered by the UK’s morale and reputation of some kind of catastrophic failure. A lack of action risks, for instance, the Chamber being plunged into darkness during the State Opening of Parliament.
“Consider the impact of global rolling news footage of Notre Dame-like flames licking out of the building’s roof, resulting in the destruction of our heritage, or worse, injuries or loss of life.
“These are not notional possibilities, but real and rising risks which our Committee identified three years ago.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- Labour MP apologises for hugging parliamentary staffer after bullying probe
- Mystery over 150-year-old skeleton found at Westminster Abbey solved as archaeologists uncover new clues
- London authority strikes deal to tackle rogue electric bike parking with tougher measures unveiled
The Commons and Lords are expected to narrow the range of options for how the programme will be carried out from four to two.
The recommended routes are a “full decant”, costing up to £15.6billion and lasting up to 24 years, and a partial decant called “enhanced maintenance and improvement plus”, costing up to £39billion and lasting up to 61 years.
MPs and peers also have to sign off on “Phase One” of the programme, capped at £3billion, which would focus on moving the Commons and Lords to nearby temporary locations, as well as on relocating offices outside the palace.
However, the PAC warned that the temporary homes for peers and MPs may not be ready when they need to leave the Palace of Westminster for work to begin, which, according to current timescales, would be in 2032.
Restoration and Renewal authorities need to provide a more detailed “delivery schedule” for the Phase One works, the PAC said, that accounts for when temporary accommodation is needed.
Sir Geoffrey acknowledged that all options for the programme “involve extremely high figures with very big ranges”.
He said: “At a time of national fiscal constraint, we would expect the parliamentary authorities to examine these figures extremely carefully to see how they can be reduced before the vote on Phase Two in 2030.
A UK Parliament spokesman said: “The PAC concludes that without action, the Palace of Westminster will, at best, be in a process of managed decline.
“Work is already happening across the Parliamentary estate to ensure the ongoing safety of those working here and visiting.”
The spokesman continued: “The restoration proposals put forward by the R&R Client Board, which includes MPs and Lords, recommend an initial seven years of works with capped costs, which the National Audit Office has previously recognised as a sensible approach.
“The proposals are expected to be debated by all Members of both Houses to decide a way forward.
“The PAC provides welcome scrutiny and has stated the proposals provide enough information to inform a debate and a vote.”
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter