Houses of Parliament restoration put on hold because of pandemic

Plans to restore the Houses of Parliament have officially been put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Sponsor Body, the independent group overseeing the £4bn restoration, said it was “entirely appropriate that we should pause at this time to consider the validity of recommendations made over five years ago”.

“The impact of the current health crisis on public finances and Parliament’s ways of working has made it even more essential that we review both the strategy for relocating the two Houses and the scope of the restoration of the Palace,” said Sarah Johnson, the body’s chief executive.

(Image credit: ISABEL INFANTES / AFP)