Restoring parliament without decanting staff was always a ridiculous obsession of a minority of MPs, says Prospect

A review into the proposed restoration and renewal of Parliament has today announced that whatever option is chosen, a full decant of staff will be necessary.

Garry Graham, Prospect deputy general secretary, said:

“The idea that parliament could be fully restored without evacuating MPs and staff was always a ridiculous obsession of a minority of politicians.

“We welcome the conclusion of this review that this option would pose and ‘extraordinary level of risk’ and hope that this bad idea can now finally be put to bed, after a large amount of time and public money has been wasted pursing it.

“The risks of a potentially catastrophic incident at Parliament will continue to rise if this vital restoration work does not commence as soon as possible. Staff need clarity that their workplace is a safe one.

“Staff must be involved with this process at every step and we look forward to working with the sponsor body to make this project a success.”