Restoration of crumbling UK parliament slips beyond next election  – POLITICO

LONDON — Major restoration works on the Palace of Westminster are unlikely to progress before the next U.K. general election, with MPs no longer expected to choose their preferred refurbishment option before the end of this year. 

Plans for a massive overhaul of the famous British parliament buildings have already suffered a litany of setbacks and delays over the five years since MPs first approved proposals to temporarily vacate the estate while essential works were carried out. 

Much of the landmark palace dates back to the 19th century — parts are considerably older still — yet it has not been properly refurbished since before World War II. Experts say the risks posed by fire and falling masonry are growing.

The parliamentary authorities have spent much of this year producing a shortlist of two options — a “full decant” of MPs into temporary accommodation while work is carried out, versus some form of “continued presence” — on which MPs were expected to vote before Christmas. 

But neither party is keen to grasp the nettle and endorse a vast spending plan with a general election looming in 2024. Under a rewritten timetable, MPs will now be asked only to “take note” of the options available this year, while further scoping work is carried out. 

This creates a “vanishing chance” of any one option being approved before the next election, said one senior parliamentary official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. 

The same person said it was far more likely that parliament would continue with the “do nothing” option, which itself costs an estimated £2 million a week in ad-hoc repairs, at least until a new government is formed post election. 

Andrea Leadsom, a Conservative MP and former House of Commons leader who set out the original plan for restoration in 2018, described the stalled decision as “totally ridiculous.” 

Alexandra Meakin, an expert on restoration and lecturer in politics at the University of Leeds added: “Further delays are incredibly concerning. Waiting until after the next election to make a decision will cost taxpayers at least £100 million, while increasing the risks faced by staff and visitors each week.”

A second parliamentary official insisted this fall’s limited vote would still represent “a positive step” because “it’s an endorsement by the House of the direction of travel and an endorsement of the sorts of figures involved.”

A parliamentary spokesman said: “We are on track to present a strategic case to members later this year that will ask them to endorse the further detailed work on two options for restoring and renewing the Palace of Westminster. Extensive work is ongoing to ensure the safety of those who work and visit parliament.”

The chances of parliament undergoing wholesale restoration, which is likely to cost upward of £13 billion, now appear increasingly remote. 

Charles Walker, a Conservative MP who chairs the House of Commons administration committee, said: “What is underappreciated is that the only way that R&R [restoration and renewal] will really happen is when the Treasury decides it wants to write the check.”

He added: “You can have endless discussions and have endless board meetings, but until you get full sign-up from the existing government and the government-in-waiting as far as funding is concerned, it is really out of the hands of parliament.”

With the Treasury already searching for money to rebuild crumbling schools and with a long-promised high-speed rail line from London to the north of England mired in doubt as costs spiral, it seems highly unlikely that either of the main parties will commit to a multibillion-pound plan to rebuild their own parliament building.

In the meantime. the fabric of the Palace of Westminster is steadily deteriorating despite a constant program of repairs, with leaking roofs, crumbling masonry, fire outbreaks, vermin and asbestos leaks among the most serious problems. 

Newer parts of the building are not immune from structural issues either, as illustrated when glass fell from the roof of Portcullis House in July.

A report by the cross-party Commons public accounts committee this year pointed to “a real and rising risk” that “a catastrophic event will destroy the Palace,” The committee warned that the parliamentary authorities “must now maintain … momentum to have a fighting chance of achieving an extremely ambitious programme.”