A notice has just gone round from the parliamentary authorities telling staffers and MPs that they should report in if they plan on working on the estate over the weekend:
“As you may already be aware, during water quality checks in early September legionella bacteria was identified in the boiler which provides hot water to the Palace’s taps and showers. The system was treated on 14th September to address this.
Test results for additional samples were received on 30th September which recommend that further mitigation measures were taken forward.
As a result, the House is planning to chemically treat the hot water system in the Palace over the weekend of 5th and 6th October. The chemicals are at a low level and present no health risk. However during this time, it is recommended that hot water taps are not used, unless fitted with a filter.
There will be signage around the Estate and filters fitted where required.”
A bemused staffer tells Guido:
“It’s just more proof how crap Parliament is to actually work in, we have no working air conditioning or heating, the buildings leak when it rains, rats are everywhere and now the water is trying to kill us… again.”
Legionella and other savoury incidents like sewage leaks are no rare thing around Whitehall. Back in 2022 the bacteria hit the fairly new Portcullis House. Now it looks like it’s spread further. It’s not just the politics that’s dirty…
Speaking on Times Radio, former Home Secretary David Blunkett spoke about overdiagnosis of mental problems:
“Let’s distinguish those who are really severely mentally ill, diagnosed with things that require prolonged medical and diagnostic treatment. My wife and I talk about this a lot, because she’s a retired GP, about the fact that you can be sad without being ill. You can be momentarily depressed because your boyfriend or girlfriend’s just thrown you and you’re not mentally ill. You can even have mild issues, which can be dealt with with the right kind of support, but it doesn’t make you mentally ill. So we’ve got a real task, I think, to get the psychology, if you like, of this over. But there are things where you definitely need medical intervention, and there are other things where you need good friends, you need good connectivity, and you need a job.”