Palace of Westminster faces 'catastrophic event' without £4bn repairs

The Palace of Westminster is at risk of a "catastrophic event" if £4 billion worth of repair works are not carried out, a report by MPs and peers says.

The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster have recommended moving out of the building entirely so essential renovations can take place.

But the work - which includes repairing crumbling walls, leaking pipes and removing deadly asbestos - could take up to eight years.

The report said: "The Palace of Westminster, a masterpiece of Victorian and medieval architecture and engineering, faces an impending crisis which we cannot responsibly ignore.

"It is impossible to say when this will happen, but there is a substantial and growing risk of either a single, catastrophic event, such as a major fire.

"Or a succession of incremental failures in essential systems which would lead to Parliament no longer being able to occupy the Palace."

According to a study by Deloitte last year, conditions at the Palace include:

• Deadly fire risks

• Collapsing roofs

• Crumbling walls

• Leaking pipes

• Large quantities of asbestos

The report says a "full decant" option would involve both the House of Commons and the House of Lords moving out temporarily.

The Commons chamber would be moved to the Department of Health's current offices, while the Lords would sit in the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre.

Prime Minister Theresa May is yet to see the committee's report, Downing Street said.

A spokeswoman said: "The PM's view is that we should carefully consider the proposals and will want to hear the views of MPs before deciding on the direction.

"We will need to look at the way forward in discussion with Parliament."