The Houses of Parliament is falling down. What is to be done?
by Simon Montlake
Jul 06, 2023
4 minutes
Mice under the floorboards. Falling masonry. Leaky sewage pipes. Asbestos everywhere.
Britain has no shortage of historic buildings in need of repair. But none presents a challenge on the scale of that facing the Houses of Parliament, the heart of British power and politics on the banks of the River Thames, and which ranks among the world’s most recognizable buildings.
The occupants of this vast and dilapidated building, however, the elected and unelected politicians who work in what is formally known as the Palace of Westminster, cannot decide how to go about renovating it. Nor can they agree on where they should legislate during the work.
“We’re becoming a laughingstock,” says Meg Hillier,
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