David Leakey said the Palace of Westminster is at risk of ‘major fire and loss of life’ as he stood down from the ancient post in the House of Lords last night
The outgoing Black Rod has warned that Parliament ‘could be the next Grenfell’ unless vital repairs are carried out.
David Leakey said the Palace of Westminster is at risk of ‘major fire and loss of life’ as he stood down from the ancient post in the House of Lords last night.
In an interview, he urged MPs to ‘find the courage’ to back plans to vacate Parliament while urgent repairs take place.
The former Army officer’s comparison risked causing offence to those who lost their homes or family in the horrific blaze that engulfed the Grenfell Tower in west London in June, killing 71.
He said politicians had a tough task as it was difficult to justify spending billions on repairing Parliament when they have not spent millions on high-rise blocks such as Grenfell.
Mr Leakey, who will be replaced by the first female Black Rod, said the expert recommendation was to act quickly, rather than in phases, to prevent a similar fire.
In an interview, he urged MPs to ‘find the courage’ to back plans to vacate Parliament while urgent repairs take place
‘If we don’t learn the Grenfell lesson, this building could burn down, just like it did in 1834 when there was a decade of delay and procrastination about how or when to refurbish,’ he warned.
‘We will again be accused of sitting on our hands.
‘What an embarrassment and a disgrace it would be to our nation if our Parliament suddenly disintegrated in a puff of asbestos because the steam pipes burst in the cavities around this building and the electricity and the IT infrastructure went with them.
‘There could be a major fire, there could be loss of life.’
Mr Leakey, who has been Black Rod since 2011, said Parliament is ‘wasting’ millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money ‘patching up’ the Palace of Westminster while a decision on restoration is delayed. ‘We are doing this, knowing that in a few years all that wiring is probably going to be ripped out and replaced,’ he said.
‘We are patching up and pasting up all over the House in a completely uneconomic way.’ Parliament is ‘actively considering’ introducing a mass fire drill and evacuation, he added.
‘If there’s a real incident, like a Grenfell Tower, we need to do the drill when everyone is here, so that people have the culture and understand how to do it. So that is what has been proposed and that is what is likely to happen sometime in 2018.’
A replica chamber (featured) has been created which could house MPs and staff in the event of an emergency
The Palace is in desperate need of a major renovation, expected to cost up to £3.9billion.
In October, Tory MP Michael Ellis’s car windscreen was smashed outside Parliament when a piece of masonry fell on it.
An official report has recommended MPs move out while work is completed, but they have so far failed to reach a consensus. They were set to vote on the restoration plans this month, but the Government postponed the debate.
Mr Leakey told The House magazine: ‘[Politicians] have got to find the courage to take a decision … stand by it, and justify it.’
He announced yesterday that a replica chamber has been created which could house MPs and staff in the event of an emergency. The location was not revealed.