MPs press ahead with Westminster refurbishment after Notre Dame fire 'brings home' fears of tragedy

Vacating the Palace of Westminster for the works will already cost between £3.5bn and £3.9bn

An aerial view of the Houses of Parliament and the Palace of Westminster (Getty)

Ministers are pressing ahead with the multi-billion pound restoration of parliament after warning the Notre Dame cathedral fire "brings home sharply" fears of a similar tragedy.

Andrea Leadsom will introduce a Commons bill on Wednesday to create an Olympics-style independent body to oversee the refurbishment, which could see MPs and peers decamp from the Palace of Westminster for several years.

MPs voted in favour of a "full decant" last year, following warnings the iconic structure is at serious risk from flood or fire due to plumbing and cabling going back to the 19th Century.

Progress appears to have sped up since the departure of defence secretary Gavin Williamson, who was said to oppose plans to turn a Ministry of Defence (MOD) car park into a building site needed to build a temporary Commons chamber.

Vacating the Palace of Westminster for the works will already cost between £3.5bn and £3.9bn but the stalemate meant the decant could have been pushed from 2025 to 2028 at an additional cost of £350m, the parliamentary restorations committee said.

A senior Commons source said the delay has already cost an additional "hundreds of millions of pounds" but the estimated date was now the "mid 2020s" after "constructive discussions" with the new defence secretary Penny Mordaunt.

Ms Mordaunt took over after Mr Williamson sacked for leaking information from the National Security Council - an allegation he denies.

The source said: "We were extremely concerned that the MOD car park had been incredibly precious but it’s becoming less precious as the days pass.

“One of the key questions now is what would be do with the bike racks which I think takes us from what should we do with the nuclear bunkers to do what should we do with the bike racks.

“We’re improving. We are hopeful we will find a way there.”

It comes a matter of weeks after the Commons was forced to rise two hours early due to water pouring into the chamber from a leak in the roof.

As well as recent incidents of falling masonry and leaking pipes, there have also been 66 fires since 2008, forcing officials to mount round-the-clock patrols to prevent a serious blaze.

The tragic fire at Notre Dame in April has "clarified minds", according to sources close to the project.

Commons leader Ms Leadsom said: "Events like the terrible fire at Notre Dame bring home to us sharply the importance of preserving our historic buildings.

"The Palace of Westminster, recognised the world over as a symbol of democracy, must be restored for future generations.

"This bill ensure the vital work needed to protect its future will happen in the most efficient way - with the expertise we need, proper structures in place, and making sure we deliver the best possible value for taxpayers' money."

Lords leader Baroness Evans said it was "imperative" to protect the Palace of Westminster for future generations.

However former cabinet minister Lord Blunkett, who was on the restoration committee, accused the government of dragging its feet.

"The contrast between the urgency and decisiveness displayed in France with the lacklustre approach of the government here is palpable," he said.

The bill will be introduced on Wednesday and ministers hope it will pass its first parliamentary hurdle "within weeks".

Under the plans, MPs would move to Richmond House, which formerly housed the Department for Health and Social Care, while peers would use the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre near Parliament Square.