Parliament could burn down ‘any day’, says Andrea Leadsom

A former cabinet minister has urged MPs to “get on with” Parliament’s renovation, as she warned the aging property could burn down “any day” in a fire similar to that which destroyed France’s Notre Dame Cathedral in 2017.

Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire and former Business Secretary, said her colleagues would soon have to make a decision on how to proceed with the repairs to the Houses of Parliament.

Parliament was built between 1860 and 1860 and is in need of major repairs including restoration work, asbestos removal, fire safety improvements, wiring replacement and conservation work.