It’s one of Britain’s most famous landmarks. It’s 150 years old and it’s becoming uninhabitable. A report has recommended that MPs move out of the British Houses of Parliament so a huge restoration project can be carried out. Our political correspondent Ian Watson has been to investigate some of the crumbling parts of the building.
On the outside, the Palace of Westminster looks as majestic as ever. I’m now going into the very bowels of the building as I weed through dust encrusted stairs. Immediately the atmosphere changes. The temperature goes up several degrees. So lurking down here in the basement is Chris Bryant the labor MP who’s been on the committee that’s decided that MPs have to move out for six years.
I am not lurking. The truth is side by side you’ve got high pressure steam central heating system. There’s some cables down there which seem to be going nowhere.
That might be David Cameron’s telephones just been cut off by Theresa May. And what happened in 1934 was that there was a massive fire. And the real danger is that that would happen again.
And his fellow committee member still rejected criticism that four billion pounds would be spent on a mere facelift.
This is about the arteries and veins and major organs of something that is so important toour national identity.
Ian Watson reporting from Westminster.
“Enjoy yourself!” One of the classics of Jamaican singer Prince Buster whose death has been announced. He was 78 years old and died at his home in Florida. The songs he recorded in early 1960s inspired a revival of ska music in Britain two decades later with bands like Madness and The Specials covering his songs. In 2001, Prince Buster, the man born as Cecil Campbell who became a self-proclaimed King of ska was awarded the Order of Distinction in Jamaica for his contribution to the development of the country’s music industry. So let’s end the podcast with some more of Prince Buster.
Air pollution is now the forth biggest killer in the world, causing one in ten deaths. That’s the finding of a new report by the World Bank which has called for urgent action to tackle the problem. It says the cost to the global economy amounts to more than 200 billion dollars. I’ve been talking to one of the authors.