While the government may be on the rocks this week, one member of the payroll has recently found themselves under particular siege: Mike Freer MP, the Tory accommodation whip. Over the summer recess hundreds of MPs and staff are set to decant from Norman Shaw North to Richmond House as part of the ongoing restoration and renewal of parliament. Crumbling walls, falling masonry and general dilapidation are just some of the problems their offices are currently beset with. 

Not all are content with the move, however. While one MP told Guido they were happily surprised by the slightly larger room they have just been told they’ll be moving into, for a number of others the extra walking distance during future divisions has left them praying for an alternative. According to one Tory source a couple of MPs have even resorted to highlighting how many of the Lobby still haven’t returned to parliament post-lockdown; enquiring to the whips about the possibility of turfing hacks out and colonising their prime office space at the heart of the palace. Lee Cain would be proud…