More asbestos items were found during surveys in preparation for the long-awaited refurbishment project, parliamentary authorities said. The committee this week warned it was “crunch time” for Parliament’s restoration.
Asbestos is one of the main reasons for the refurbishment because of the dangers to human health when its fibres become airborne. Known items have risen by 500 since 2021, and although 700 have been removed in the past five years, the total has still climbed, a Freedom of Information request by the BBC found. Under Health and Safety Executive guidelines, most of the asbestos is classed as low risk in concealed areas, meaning it is less likely to be disturbed, but almost 200 items are classed as medium risk and may require remedial works.
A UK Parliament spokesperson said its absolute priority is the safety of those who work on and visit the parliamentary estate, pointing to improved asbestos monitoring, new awareness training and plans to remove more of the material. The Commons authorities told the BBC "an asbestos-free building cannot be achieved in practice" because that would require demolition or extensive damage to the fabric of the building.
Kris Gledhill, whose mother, former Labour MP Alice Mahon, died in 2022 of malignant mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure, said "asbestos should never be considered low risk". He called for a precautionary approach, including assessing risks from buildings deteriorating over time, extreme weather events, floods and fire, and disturbances caused during renovation and maintenance work. He said his mother "was able to identify two workplaces where she might well have been exposed, one of which was the Palace of Westminster".
Dr Hannah Moody, chief executive of charity Mesothelioma UK, said she backs a national asbestos register and the phased removal of asbestos from public buildings. "Although asbestos was banned in 1999, it remains present in many public buildings across the UK and continues to cause serious illness and work-related deaths, including from the aggressive cancer, mesothelioma," she said. Workers should be given health and safety advice to manage the risks, she added.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative MP who chairs the public accounts committee, told the BBC that if a small fire broke out in the building "the whole lot would go up", with 24-hour fire patrols in place. He warned of the impact of "Notre Dame-like flames licking out of the building's roof, resulting in the destruction of our heritage, or worse, injuries or loss of life", and criticised "a political allergy to gripping the nettle" after years of delay.
The committee said there was enough information for MPs and peers to vote on a way forward before the end of this year. The BBC understands government whips have discussed holding a debate and vote by then, but no date has been scheduled. Such a vote would decide whether to proceed with up to £3bn of initial works and narrow down four current options, ahead of a final decision by 2030. One option would see MPs and peers move out of the site for up to 24 years from 2032, costing up to £15.6bn; another would move only the House of Lords, at a cost of £39bn. Among the "critical" setbacks the committee identified were an overcomplex decision-making process and delays in acquiring a temporary home for the Lords in the nearby Queen Elizabeth II conference centre.