Westminster at risk of ‘Notre Dame-style fire’, MPs warn

The Palace of Westminster could be at risk of a Notre Dame-style fire if MPs do not tackle the issue of funding refurbishments, a parliamentary committee has warned.

Refurbishment of the historic Grade I-listed building has been repeatedly delayed due to concerns over spiralling costs and debate over how it should be carried out. But now the Public Accounts Committee has warned that each year of delay in this decision comes at the cost of another £420 million.

Parliament’s spend on maintaining the Palace of Westminster is expected to hit £2 million per week, up from its current levels of £1.5 million per week, the committee warned.

Chair of the committee, MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said that those holding up the refurbishments should imagine “the blow suffered by the UK’s morale and reputation of some kind of catastrophic failure.”

He said: “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.”

He said these weren’t “notional possibilities”, but were instead “real and rising risks” identified by the committee years ago.

MPs first voted to leave the Palace of Westminster for the building to undergo extensive repairs in 2018, but there has been continued disagreement about whether this should go ahead. Sir Geoffrey said there had been a “political allergy” to dealing with the refurbishment costs of the estate.

According to a report from the committee, parliamentarians have been asked to commit to a seven-year programme of Phase One works that are currently capped at £3 billion. A vote is expected to take place on Phase Two in 2030.

“All options ahead involve extremely high figures with very big ranges. 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 on 2030,” said Sir Geoffrey.

“As the vote from Parliamentarians on how to best proceed with this complicated restoration project approaches, then, it is incumbent on the programme to provide as much detailed certainty for Members of both Houses as possible to provide them confidence they are making the right best-informed decisions.”

He said questions remained about where MPs and Peers would go in the event of a full decant.

A UK parliament spokesperson 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 restoration proposals put forward by the R&R Client Board, which includes MPs and Lords, include a recommendation for an initial seven years of initial 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.”