Politicians have to leave the Houses of Parliament for five years while £10billion refurb takes place
A Commons committee has found there is 'no alternative' given the risk of a 'catastrophic failure'
MPs and peers will be ordered to leave Parliament for five years from 2022 – to allow for a staggering £10 billion-worth of urgent repairs.
The Sun can reveal a Commons committee has found there is no alternative given the risk of a “catastrophic failure” sparked by either a fire, flood, security breach or sewage leak.
A report expected to be released tomorrow will reveal that parts of the 160 year-old Palace of Westminster are crumbling and riddled with vermin, faulty wires and dangerous asbestos.
It adds that without essential repair work there is a great danger one of Britain’s most iconic buildings will become “uninhabitable”.
The report says: “There is a clear and pressing need to repair the services of the Palace of Westminster in a comprehensive and strategic manner to prevent a catastrophic failure in the next decade.”
Sir Winston Churchill died 51 years ago but an parliament insider said his poo may still be in the sewage system because the pipes are so old
A source told the Sun there have already been several occasions where officials feared Parliament may have to be evacuated while MPs were sitting because of ‘break-downs’ and fire risks.
One insider said: “The place is falling down.
“Parts of the basement is routinely flooded and the pipes go back to the 1860s. The sewage system is so old Sir Winston Churchill’s s**t is probably still backed up and down there.
“If something happened when Government was sitting imagine the disruption it could cause.”
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The unprecedented recommendation comes four years after a pre-feasibility study warned that unless major conservation work was carried out – “irreversible damage” may be done.
The joint committee led by senior Tory Chris Grayling declares it is impossible for MPs to remain on site while repairs were being carried out because the cost for taxpayers would triple.
MPs will move to Richmond House in Whitehall after the next Election. Lords are likely to move to the QEII Conference Centre in London.
A source said: “The biggest fear is security. There are more breaches than anyone lets on.”
Labour MP Valerie Vaz revealed last year that two of her staff were forced to go home sick after a pipe burst in April 2013 – meaning leaking sewage built up near her office.
A TV documentary found that much of the building needs re-wiring, walls and floors are infested with asbestos, and Victorian drains are forced to deal with levels of sewage, wastewater and cooking by-products on a scale that was unimaginable when they were built.
Fire alarms are out of date and the oldest lifts data back to 1893.
The report’s recommendations will go before the House of Commons later this year. It is believed they are backed by all parties except the SNP – who want Parliament to be preserved as a museum while MPs move permanently to a different site.