It’s meltdown mode in Parliament. Broken fridges in PCH and a leak in the Principal Floor kitchen have thrown parliamentary catering into disarray for the next few days. If you can’t handle the heat…
Over in The Debate, there’s no hot breakfast and a stripped-back lunch menu on offer. Full service might return tomorrow if the fridges are fixed. The Adjournment is shut today, running a skeleton menu tomorrow. And there’s no bookings at all for the Strangers’ Dining Room today. How will our politicians cope…
The ugly new security fence around Parliament – at the House of Lords end – has caused a public outcry. Parliamentarians fencing themselves off while Britain’s borders are wide open, and it’s not clear how much of your money it cost…
Now Guido can reveal, according to multiple sources in the industry, that the planning process around the fence has been “highly irregular.” An expert describes the planning documents as “unusually heavily redacted” – some redactions are normal due to security concerns. Though in this case the documents are almost completely blank, so very few details are available to the public…
Permission for the fence to be up was only granted for the next ten years – meaning the structure is theoretically temporary. Though with the snail’s pace of decisions on Parliament’s refurbishment programme, it’s surely likely to become permanent by default. Parliament is a UNESCO World Heritage site, but there is no evidence of UNESCO having been consulted. Maybe the UK can leave the UN?
Now multiple questions have been tabled about it in parliament, after the farce of the Lords’ £9.6 million broken door – first revealed by Guido. Historic England said: “[Our advice to] Westminster City Council was that the current solution would be harmful, and that temporary consent should only be given to allow an appropriate permanent solution to be developed. In giving this advice, we were mindful that the safe working of Parliament is key to the continued use of this Grade I listed building, a use that is in itself part of the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site.” Build bridges not fences…
On the same day that Yvette Cooper will proscribe RAF Brize Norton-invaders Palestine Action they are due to stage a protest in Westminster. The Met says:
“Public Order Act conditions have been imposed on the protest in support of Palestine Action due to take place tomorrow. The protest must not begin before midday and must end by 3 p.m.”
Parliamentary authorities are circulating their emergency number and parliament passholders are advised not to allow any tailgating through entrances, to ensure all guests are escorted at all times, and to “report any suspicious activity immediately.” Nervous…
There is a rare exclusion order outside parliament:
MPs and Lords have been told that “access may change during the day” – drivers are advised to get in before the protest starts. Just Stop Oil, which said earlier this year it was ending its protest programme, emailed supporters yesterday urging them to show up:
“If we don’t speak up now, they’ll come for us next. So, we’re asking all Just Stop Oil supporters in London to come down to the emergency demo at 12 tomorrow:
The Home Secretary plans to issue a statement on Monday to ban Palestine Action: be there in numbers to stand against it. EMERGENCY MOBILISATION: WE ARE ALL PALESTINE ACTION.
Location: Houses of Parliament, London, SW1 0AA”
Determined to break that exclusion zone. Could be fireworks…
Bad news for fans of subsidised sarnies and cappuccinos on the Parliamentary estate. The Commons Executive Board has just unveiled a new “savings and improvement programme” and first on the chopping block is the catering. From the end of June, the Terrace Cafeteria will shut on weekends (no more Saturday service), as will the Despatch Box (currently open on Sundays). Meanwhile, Café 14 and The Table will only open from 8am to 3pm on weekdays after Whitsun recess. And when summer recess hits, The Table could be axed altogether…
The bean counters at the Board insist that “these decisions were not made lightly” but are “essential to ensuring that our catering services remain aligned with current demand, especially in the context of financial pressures.” This is all part of a bigger belt-tightening mission: the House of Commons is looking to shave off at least 10% in savings over the next three years with further details to be set out in their 2026/27 budget. Staffers can take some small comfort in the fact that Strangers’ Bar hasn’t had its hours slashed…yet…
Continue reading “Parliament Cuts Back Catering in ‘Cost-Cutting’ Drive”
Labour ministers are raising eyebrows with their ever-punchier replies to parliamentary questions (much ruder than those issued under the Tories) – the tone is generally flippant, nitpicking, and sometimes downright obstructive. After seven months the basics of governing and building alliances are not coming naturally…
The latest flounder came after the Government was asked if DSIT or Ofcom have funded the Center for Countering Digital Hate – the odd outfit founded by No 10 Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney and revealed to have a plan to “Kill Musk’s Twitter.” Guido has extensively covered its activism…
A week later, ministers gave a less than certain answer: “As far as we are aware, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Ofcom have not provided funding to the Center for Countering Digital Hate.” As Elon starts to comb through the Federal Budget line by line, Labour could not “rule out” funding an organisation intent on whacking the brainchild of Trump’s right-hand man. “As far as we are aware” has never been an acceptable level of accountability to parliament, they were either funded or they weren’t…
Parliamentary authorities have informed estate users that a ‘steam leak’ spotted on Friday has resulted in the shutdown of heating across the the West Front of the Palace on this baltic day in Westminster. Not the first time a leak has left a chilly atmosphere on the estate…
MPs and staffers hoping for a reprieve are left with little comfort from portable heaters, as they’ve been warned of overloading the Palace’s ageing electricity circuits and instructed to keep them on low or half power. Reeves in for an even frostier reception when she finally faces MPs this afternoon…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”
