Crumbling Commons gears up for new term

It’s less than a week until MPs return to Westminster after a summer full of llama drama and Afghan disaster. But as our elected leaders gear up to debate the great issues of state once more, Steerpike has unearthed figures which suggest Parliament’s foundations are not as solid as they would like to think. Whether it’s asbestos, falling stonework or the risk of incineration, all too often the Palace of Westminster resembles a house of horrors.

Mr S has obtained a copy of the most recent parliamentary ‘Asbestos Management Survey’ – drawn up between July 2019 and April 2020 – and it makes for depressing reading. Released under Freedom of Information laws, the report identifies the presence of asbestos material in approximately 28 locations across the parliamentary estate. It also identifies areas which Palace staff have not been able to fully access or inspect – ‘despite every effort being made by the survey team to gain access.’