Kemi Badenoch has launched an attack against the £40billion cost of restoring Parliament – branding it a ‘basket case’ plan to turn Westminster into a ‘Net-Zero Dubai hotel’.
The Conservative leader has launched a campaign for a ‘fundamental rethink’ of the proposals that could take up to six decades and cost taxpayers up to £40billion.
Earlier this month MPs and peers were given two options for the work: moving both Houses out of the Palace of Westminster, or restoring the building in stages while MPs remain.
A ‘full decant’ would take 19 to 24 years and cost up to £15.6billion, with the second option costing up to £39.2billion and taking between 38 and 61 years. MPs have until 2030 to decide.
A parliamentary committee report a decade ago warned: ‘Unless an intensive programme of major remedial work is undertaken soon, it is likely the building will become uninhabitable.’
The Tories acknowledge that essential safety work is required to address fire risk, asbestos, mechanical failure and structural decay.
However the party has warned that the scale, scope and governance of the current proposals ‘raise serious concerns about value for money’ for taxpayers and of parliamentary accountability.
Ms Badenoch said: ‘Parliament’s restoration project is out of control, and the public should be as angry about it as I am.
A striking area could be created underneath Central Lobby in Parliament under the plans
A glass-roofed visitor’s entrance could be constructed next to the Houses, the report said
Wrangling over what to do about the Westminster estate – regarded as a mouse-infested fire risk and blighted by power cuts and heating failures – has been going on for decades
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has launched a campaign against the £40billion cost of restoring Parliament – branding it a ‘basket case’ plan to turn Westminster into a ‘Net-Zero Dubai hotel’
‘This was meant to be essential works to keep a cherished, historic building safe and functioning. It has turned into a basket case white elephant project.
‘While Labour are destroying jobs and livelihoods, taxpayers are being asked to bankroll billions more to turn the Palace of Westminster into a Net-Zero Dubai hotel.
‘Many of the people pushing for this hate our heritage. The Conservative Party exists to protect that heritage and British institutions and we will be voting against this.’
The Tories are launching a public petition calling for the programme to be ‘paused and refocused’ until concerns around the ‘escalating cost and timescale’ and the proposal for a full decant are addressed.
The Palace of Westminster is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most recognisable democratic buildings in the world.
The Tories are demanding guarantees that ‘restoration must not become reinvention’ and Parliament must not be reshaped ‘beyond recognition’.
Shadow Commons leader Jesse Norman said: ‘The Palace of Westminster is one of our greatest national institutions. It must be made safe and preserved for future generations.
‘But the current restoration and renewal process is drifting towards a vast, decades-long project with costs running into the tens of billions, insufficient scrutiny, and unclear accountability.
‘At a time of tight public finances, Parliament cannot ask the country to sign a blank cheque. The focus must be on essential works, firm cost control and proper oversight.’
