Fears that the Palace of Westminster could fall into the Thames have prompted MPs to discuss selling the seat of British power.
Subsidence caused by work on Parliament’s underground car park and the construction of new Tube tunnels have led to cracks appearing in walls around the Houses of Commons and Lords.
The damage has prompted fears the palace could sink into the river. It has already resulted in Britain’s own leaning Tower of Pisa: reports show that Big Ben’s bell tower is leaning 18ins at its peak.
MPs on the House of Commons Commission, responsible for the upkeep of the Parliamentary estate, meet tomorrow to discuss a surveyor’s report that suggests options for dealing with the problems.
Those options include repairs to the mock-Gothic building which may mean peers and MPs temporarily moving out.
The most radical solution would be to sell the estate and move into new offices, though politicians are unlikely to abandon such a famous and prestigious Grade I-listed location.
A Commons spokesman told The Sunday Times: “The commission will be considering whether to ask officials from both Houses to undertake a study into the long-term approach to the maintenance of Parliament.
“No decisions are likely to be taken for several years as to whether either House will need to move out of the palace for a period to allow essential work to take place.”
In 1016 King Canute first began building a royal residence where the Palace of Westminster now stands. It was Edward the Confessor who, in 1042, first started work on a palace on the site – built so that he could oversee the construction of Westminster Abbey, according to www.parliament.uk.
The palace went through various renovations and constructions and in 1512 became the permanent home of Parliament after it was abandoned by Henry VIII, who vacated Westminister in favour of Whitehall after a fire.
Fire struck again in 1834, when most of the medieval palace was destroyed. The majority of the present day Palace of Westminster was constructed after the Great Fire.
Sky News