MPs 'could move out of Parliament for six years'

Change of scene: MPs could move out of Westminster
Peter Byrne/PA
Robin de Peyer8 September 2016
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

MPs could move out of the Houses of Parliament for six years to allow vital restoration work to be carried out.

The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster will today recommend that MPs move into the nearby Department of Health with peers going to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, a source said.

According to The Times, Prime Minister Theresa May is set to back the call, increasing the likelihood that it will happen, but it will still be subject to a parliamentary vote.

The committee is expected to recommend that the move takes place between 2022 and 2028.

A study by Deloitte last year highlighted the appalling condition of the Palace of Westminster, with potentially deadly fire risks, collapsing roofs, crumbling walls, leaking pipes and large quantities of asbestos.

The committee of MPs and peers is set to back one of the options set out in the study - that there should be a full decant, estimated by Deloitte to cost between £3 billion to £4.3 billion - with the most likely figure £3.5 billion.

If politicians refuse to leave the building, patching it up to basic standards will take around 32 years and could cost between £4.9 billion and £7.1 billion, the June 2015 study said.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "We are awaiting the report and will respond in due course."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in