Alexandra Meakin

Parliament refurb chairman defends potential £40bn costs Simon Thurley says the estimated cost does not seem like a

Parliament refurb chair defends potential £40bn costs www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The U.K. Parliament needs fixing.

But the fight over how to repair this UNESCO World Heritage site has become a seemingly endless tale of division and delay.

🔗 politi.co/46MVltE

I’m thrilled to share that my new book on the UK Parliament has officially gone into production, with publication planned for October.

The book offers a “critical friend” perspective — recognising Parliament’s strengths while examining the challenges rooted in its historical development.

More soon

International Women's Day special: The inside story of life as an MP Podcast Episode · Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government · 6 March · 34m

Huge thanks to @elliechowns.bsky.social @drbeccycoopermp.bsky.social and Karen Bradley MP for joining me for #IWD2026.

Got into quite the debate about what the constituency inbox teaches you about problems facing our public services and frustrations that causes

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

‘The catastrophe is coming’: The battle to fix Britain’s crumbling parliament British MPs worry that voters will be ‘furious’ with a revamp of parliament — but the safety warnings keep piling up.

The Palace of Westminster stands on the banks of the River Thames in London as a proud symbol of British democracy.

But upon closer inspection, this neo-gothic mini-village is falling apart.

THANK POD IT’S FRIDAY Westminster Insider: POLITICO’s Patrick Baker takes a tour of parliament’s crumbling infrastructure and discusses what to do next with restoration expert Alexandra Meakin, Liberal Democrat MP Marie Goldman, Conservative MP and Father of the House Edward Leigh and former minister Ed Vaizey.

And here's the Playbook trail for the pod. Thanks to @politico.eu for the interview.

Inside the fight to fix Parliament by Westminster Insider The Palace of Westminster towers over the River Thames as a symbol of British democracy. But look a little closer and the building is falling apart.

I spoke to Patrick Baker from @politico.eu for this week's episode of Westminster Insider, which focuses on the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster. Listen here megaphone.link/POLL4915318489

The second edition of the Exploring Parliament textbook, sitting on a yellow spotty tablecloth.

Late in the day but happy World Book Day to the brilliant @estrangeirada.bsky.social & @louisevthompson.bsky.social, who invited me to join the editorial team for the best parliamentary studies textbook - and to the 70+ contributors who shared their expertise and made the book amazing 🙌

(so much coverage of R&R demonstrates that the author has no idea about how Parliament works; just rehashes impractical or facile suggestions; or claims the work can be done more cheaply, without showing any justification. Always a relief to read something that avoids any of that)

The R&R report delivered last month promises a parliamentary building fit for the future. Glossy architectural renderings imagine a sunken modern visitors’ centre, similar to the Louvre’s entrance hall. There’s an emphasis on accessibility and sustainability: as it stands, only 12 per cent of the Palace is step-free and the heating is so knackered that portable heaters are everywhere. Heat pumps and discreet solar panels are in discussion. ‘It needs to be a building that everyone in the UK would feel welcome in,’ says Meakin. ‘A building that belongs to the nation, rather than the temporary occupants of the current legislature.’ How likely is that vision to be realised? To move forward, a debate is due to take place this year on the R&R report. After that, both Houses will vote on whether to proceed with ‘Phase One’ stabilisation works – the necessary first steps before either ‘full decant’ or ‘EMI+’ can take place. These initial repairs are expected to take seven years and cost £3 billion. Then, in the early 2030s – and, crucially, after the next election – members will approve one of the two options and full-scale works might finally begin. ‘Punting the vote to 2030 means this parliament has, in effect, abdicated its responsibility,’ says Meakin. ‘What are the chances that, in five years’ time, a new intake of MPs will commission their own review and the whole saga will drag on while this symbol of democracy and iconic national building continues to crumble?’ For now, the fate of the Palace of Westminster is in members’ hands – if it doesn’t burn down around their ears first.

Excellent @thespectator1828.bsky.social article on R&R - credit to Alex Diggins who really did his research on this (and chatted to me!) spectator.com/article/will...

An excellent thread from my colleague @meganbryer.bsky.social ahead of #IWD2026 this Sunday

Lots below including quotes from some of the women who have served as government ministers, reflecting on their time in office

More Ministers To Be Paid Under Payroll Reforms Exclusive: The number of paid ministerial roles is to increase as part of new government reforms to be announced on Thursday.

A Whitehall scoop:

A bill is coming to increase the number of paid ministers

11 new salaries will be created to bring the payroll in line w/ the average size of a modern government

"The PM believes that ministerial office should not be reserved for those wealthy enough to fund it for themselves"

the Clerk remained the Accounting Officer, accountable to the Public Accounts Committee for taxpayers’ money spent maintaining the building. The Clerk also has legal responsibility safety of people on the parliamentary estate, as the Corporate Officer. Lord Lisvane has discussed how the “penalties prescribed by the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act” caused him “sleepless hours” when he held this role (HL Deb, 6 Feb 2018, c 1972-3). He discussed this further in an interview, noting that it was a responsibility borne by an official, not a parliamentarian: “I felt that there was an extremely high level of risk which we collectively, and I as Corporate Officer, were not in a position to mitigate […] one of the things that one is very conscious of as a corporate officer, is that you carry—no member carries it—not even the Speaker, you carry the legal responsibility if something goes wrong” (interview, Lisvane, June 2018) This is a critical point. Unlike government ministers, the Speaker or backbench MPs, officials had a specific responsibility for protecting the building. The parliamentary scholar and peer, Lord Norton of Louth, noted how officials had this responsibility but not the power to act: “They are restricted […] they have legal responsibilities but of course they don't have the political position which is necessary for leadership; they might prompt, they can advise those in leadership positions, but they are reliant on the political leadership to act” (Interview, Norton, September 2018)

If anyone is interested in applying, the job of Clerk of the House of Commons comes with a £225,000 annual salary but also the legal responsibility for the safety of everyone on the parliamentary estate and no actual power to get MPs and Peers to agree to address the massive fire and flood risks...

In 1992, Betty Boothroyd made history, becoming the first and only woman appointed as Speaker of the House of Commons.

Find out more about her illustrious career below:
#WomensHistoryMonth #WHM

Explaining Change in Legislatures: Dilemmas of Managerial Reform in the UK House of Commons - Alexandra Meakin, Marc Geddes, 2022 How do institutions adapt and reform themselves in response to new challenges? This article considers the role of ideas and posits that the concept of ‘dilemma’...

The Speaker has announced the resignation of the Clerk of the Commons, Tom Goldsmith, with a successor to be identified by summer recess. So, it's a good time to read @marcgeddes.uk & me on the challenges of this job and the chaotic recruitment process in 2014 🙌 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

1 in 4 pupils receiving Free School Meals said the £1 book they 'bought' with their £1 #WorldBookDay book token was the first book of their own. If you're in any doubt as to why today is important, that should bring it home.

22 NOOKS and CORNERS LIKE many custodians of complicated historical buildings, parliamentarians have long dithered over do ered over doing the repair and restoration work to the Palace of Westminster, baulking at the cost to taxpayers and inconvenience to themselves (Eyes passim). But the longer they wait, the worse the cost and inconvenience become The latest report from the Restoration and Renewal client board (R&R). comprising members of both Houses plus some lay members, finally tries to get things moving with costed proposals to crack on with "Phase 1" works: restoring the medieval cloister court, to prevent prev irretrievable loss of stonework in one of the palace's hidden gems; and refurbishing Victoria Tower, without having to commit just yet to shifting MPs out of the complex. It would also see spending on removing art and other treasures to temporary homes and sprucing up other buildings, including the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre and parliament's "northern estate", ready to house decanted peers and MPs. Even the £3bn for Phase 1 sounds eye-wateringly expensive, making it easy political capital for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to call for the work to be "paused and refocused" to addressescalating costs. But delaying and doing nothing also costs a fortune, and the last thing the on-again- off-again restoration of parliament needs is another pause. Inflation combined with further deterioration means the project costs go up every time it is written about, while the parliamentary estate is throwing away £70m a a year on maintenance to keep the doors open, and £45m on operating costs, including heating the draughty buildings. Despite Badenoch's sneering at the R&R board's energy efficiency ambitions as wanting the palace to become a "Net Zero Dubai Hotel", tackling the huge operating costs is one element that might actually pay for itself in time.

Excellent @privateeyenews.bsky.social report on the costed proposals for the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster and the response from the Conservatives.

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance Show full question Question for Restoration and Renewal Client Board UIN 114853, tabled on 23 February 2026 Question Wendy Morton Conservative Aldridge-Brownhills Commons To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what assessment it has made of the cumulative cost impact of scope additions relating to visitor experience, public engagement and new-build interventions; whether these elements materially increase the risk of programme delay; and whether removal or deferral of such elements could materially reduce the headline cost range and decant duration.

Answer Nick Smith Labour Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney Commons Answered on 3 March 2026 Section 2(5) of the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019, which established the framework for the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Programme, requires the Programme to have regard to (amongst other things) the need to ensure the Parliamentary building works represent good value for money, the need for improved visitor access to the Palace of Westminster after completion of the works, and the need to ensure that educational and other facilities are provided for people visiting the Palace after completion of the works. In 2024 the R&R Client Board considered the scope of the R&R Programme: that is, the improvements and benefits to be achieved in the end-state Palace, to which both Houses of Parliament will return. Having considered various scope levels, the Client Board decided against the most "transformational" scope but selected a scope which it agreed would deliver improvements while maintaining value-for-money. While there are no standalone business cases for individual scope elements within the Palace, all such elements will be included within the Programme Business Case, which will follow a decision by the Houses on the preferred way forward. Chapter 7 of the R&R Client Board’s recent report, Delivering restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster: the costed proposals (HC Paper 1576) sets out the Client Board’s view on what the Houses should be invited to approve. The exact form and content of any motion put before the Houses is to be decided.

An interesting set of Qs from Wendy Morton to the R&R Client Board. Let's see if this response, showing that the cost of the visitor/education centres is <1% of full decant price, changes the Conservative attack line about R&R gold-plating... questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-ques...

Late deciders, higher turnout: what the Gorton and Denton byelection taught us about voters High numbers of undecideds may partially explain the late swing to the Greens.

Late deciders, higher turnout: what the Gorton and Denton byelection taught us about voters - by @hannahbunting.bsky.social @lottehargrave.bsky.social @jess-smith.bsky.social

theconversation.com/late-decider...

Radical parties of the right and left in top two slots. Legacy parties getting only a third of the vote between them.

A whole new world.

There’s lots significant here - not just the Greens in second place. Reform falling back, the combined right bloc vote being just 39%. British politics in a state of flux. Is it time for Labour MPs to act?

The Bill’s key provisions include: voting age: Lowering the voting age to 16, thereby giving the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, with young people able to register in advance from the age of 14; automatic registration: providing a legal power to run pilots of various forms of automatic voter registration, enabling voters to be added to the electoral register without making an application; candidate nominations: requiring candidates to provide proof of identity during the nomination process; candidate security: abolishing the requirement for candidates who are acting as their own election agent to publish their home address, and giving candidates the option to fill out a form with their contact details to be provided to police; security of election staff: expanding the offence of intimidation or abuse of candidates, campaigners or elected office holders to include election staff, and introducing a new statutory aggravating factor for sentencing; party endorsements: allowing political parties to withdraw their support for a candidate who has submitted their nomination papers until 48 hours before the close of nominations; voter ID: adding UK-issued credit and debit cards to the list of approved forms of voter ID, and improving the security of digital photo ID; election donation checks: requiring recipients of donations over £11,180 to carry out a risk assessment to judge the likelihood of foreign or illicit sources of funding; company donations: requiring companies making donations to demonstrate a genuine and substantive connection to the UK or Ireland to prevent the use of shell companies; unincorporated associations: lowering the threshold for when unincorporated associations must register with the Electoral Commission from £37,270 to £11,180, and the threshold for when they must report gifts from £11,180 to £2,230.

Labour's Representation of the People Bill gets its first proper debate in the Commons today. Here's what's in it, via the Hansard Society

Women MPs standing together in the House of Commons Chamber, with green benches and wood-panelled walls.

Today marks the start of Women’s History Month.

A lot has changed since 1918 when the first female MP was elected to Parliament. Today, more women than ever are serving as MPs in the House of Commons, representing communities across the UK.

I love fine art.

Double finally… Green victory a reminder that sometimes candidates do matter. Hannah Spencer was an excellent choice and a great campaigner.

If I were on the R&R Client Board, I imagine I'd be somewhat frustrated, given that their report clearly pulled its punches in order to get political agreement. The lack of logic in the Tory position: "full decant will cost too much, so let's do it in an even more expensive way" is almost impressive

Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what recent progress the Client Board has made in its work. (

Before that, however, we also have a Q from Conservative MP, Charlie Dewhirst. Given that his party leader has now said they will whip against the R&R proposals (a notable departure from the usual free vote on House issues), it will be interesting to see how Smith responds.

Yep, a lovely cheap museum, filled with asbestos and leaking pipes!

6Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what its planned timetable is for starting major works on the Palace of Westminster. (907875)

We're expecting the first Commons scrutiny of the R&R Costed Proposals report today, when Dame Meg Hillier, Chair of the Treasury Cttee, has a Q to Nick Smith (R&R Client Board spokesman). Dame Meg is one of the most knowledgeable MPs on R&R and led the successful full decant amendment in 2018

(for the avoidance of doubt, as someone who lives and works in Yorkshire, moving Parliament to the Midlands or North works for me! But you have to move the government too, and not mentioning that, and how it would complicate the "travelling Commons" idea is either ignorant or disingenuous)