Parliament risks 'catastrophic event' without urgent renovation

Report says cost of maintenance could soon reach £2m a week, including 24-hour patrols to avert fire risk The Palace of Westminster will be at risk of a Notre Dame-style fire or a similar catastrophic event if MPs do not tackle the issue of funding refurbishments, a parliamentary committee has said. Decisions about how and when to begin a full restoration of the building, which is Grade I-listed and a Unesco world heritage site, have been repeatedly delayed amid disagreement over how it should b

Agriculture, youth visas and emissions agreements nearly tied up under PM’s plan for a much closer relationship with Brussels The UK-EU food produce deal: what was agreed and will it affect shoppers? Andy Burnham is preparing to announce billions of pounds of trade deals with the EU covering everything from youth visas to pet passports under his vision of a much closer relationship with the bloc. With the prime minister scheduled to meet his European counterparts in Brussels on 20 November, offi

The leader of Reform UK in Hampshire has been charged with 35 offences against four victims over a 13-year period, including 12 counts of rape.

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