Fire wardens patrol around the clock to stop the building burning down, asbestos lurks inside it – and then there is the falling masonry and leaking sewage. The mother of all parliaments may be a Unesco world heritage site, but it is also in a terrible state. So why are repairs not being treated with more urgency?
Hannah Moore and the Guardian’s acting deputy political editor, Peter Walker, take a tour of the crumbling building, in which the speaker has been known to bring his cat to work to keep the rats at bay. Alexandra Meakin, a lecturer in British politics at the University of Leeds and a specialist in the renewal and restoration of parliament, explains the history of the building and why continuity has been prioritised over practicality. Housing such an important institution in a building that is not accessible to all has serious consequences, she points out, while MP Nigel Evans explains why many of his colleagues are not keen on leaving the historic building so renovations can be undertaken more swiftly.
So what should be done? Should politicians stay put and maintain their ancient traditions even if it means parliament takes longer to be put back together? Or is it time for a radical rethink and a move to a practical building that could help to create a less combative form of politics?
Photograph: Jack Taylor/Getty Images Support The Guardian
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