Today's leak shows scope for catastrophic failure of Parliament building, says union

Garry Graham, Deputy General Secretary of Prospect union, responding to today's water leak in Parliament, said:

“If anyone requires evidence of the urgency of action by Parliament on restoration and renewal - and the scope for a catastrophic failure of the building paralysing the Govt and its ability to legislate - they need look no further than today’s news that proceedings have been delayed thanks to a water leak in the Chamber. 

“The parliamentary estate needs to be fixed up so that it can remain a functioning and safe place to work for the foreseeable future.

“The cheapest, safest solution with the shortest timescale attached is a full decant yet ministers have decided that this would be too much disruption. If one leak can cause this much disruption it doesn’t take a genius to work out that decades of operating with Parliament as a building site will cause untold problems. A full decant is not only cheapest and safest – it is the only viable option.”