Inside the fight to fix Parliament

The Palace of Westminster towers over the River Thames as a symbol of British democracy. But look a little closer and the building is falling apart. 

From fire risks and asbestos to crumbling stonework and miles of aging wiring, experts warn the U.K. Parliament is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to work for MPs, peers and staff. The Restoration and Renewal Programme has spent years trying to work out how to fix it. But now, the politics of repairing Parliament may be even more complicated than the engineering. 

In this week’s Westminster Insider, Patrick Baker takes a tour of the building’s crumbling infrastructure and hears from the people battling over what to do next.  

Restoration expert Alexandra Meakin sets out the risks of continued delay. Liberal Democrat MP Marie Goldman argues MPs should temporarily move out to allow the work to be done. Conservative MP and Father of the House Edward Leigh dismisses the plans as over-engineered “gold-plating”. And former minister Ed Vaizey wonders whether Parliament should move out altogether. 

Finally, POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief Nick Taylor-Vaisey explains how Canada tackled the same problem — and what Westminster might learn.

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