Overview
- The Restoration and Renewal Client Board set out two costed options: a full decant lasting 19–24 years at up to £15.6bn, or staged works over 38–61 years at up to £39.2bn.
- MPs and peers are being asked to approve an initial seven-year package costing up to £3bn that could begin in 2026, including Victoria Tower refurbishment, a Thames delivery jetty and early tunnelling works.
- Officials cite an unsustainable £1.5m per week in maintenance and report 36 fire incidents, 12 asbestos incidents and 19 masonry issues since 2016, alongside recent heating and sewage failures.
- If the full decant proceeds, Commons activity would shift to the Northern Estate and the Lords to the QEII Centre from around 2032, with a final delivery approach to be chosen by mid‑2030.
- Unions including Prospect and the FDA urge a full decant on safety and value grounds, Jesse Norman criticises the plan’s governance and costs, and NAO, the Public Accounts Committee and HM Treasury are flagged for oversight; external estimates put taxpayer exposure at roughly £450 each for decant versus about £1,136 for the longest staged option.