British MPs warn of possible disaster due to the condition of the parliamentary building

London - British MPs warn of a possible disaster due to the dire state of the historic building of the British Parliament. The building is crumbling and cracking and is filled with carcinogenic asbestos, members of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee warned today according to the AP agency.

The building of the British Parliament is an iconic architectural masterpiece listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Approximately one million people visit it each year.

However, it is also a crumbling, cracking, and asbestos-laden building that, according to MPs, faces a real and growing risk of destruction. In an alarming report, the committee stated that the seat of British democracy is "a leaky, dilapidated structure constantly at risk of fire," with asbestos hotspots at up to 2,500 locations. Inhaling asbestos can cause lung disease, including cancer.

"There is a real and growing risk that a catastrophic event will destroy" the building before the long-delayed renovation can be carried out, the committee stated. In the most urgent of a series of warnings over recent years, the committee pointed out that renovation work is woefully slow and mostly constitutes "patching" the 19th-century building at a cost of about two million pounds (nearly 54.5 million crowns) per week.

The committee criticized "years of procrastination" regarding the future of the parliamentary complex, known as the Palace of Westminster.

In 2018, after years of hesitation, lawmakers voted to vacate the building by the middle of this decade to allow several years of major repairs. Since then, this decision has been repeatedly challenged by MPs who do not want to leave. Last year, a commission set up to oversee the project was canceled.

Meanwhile, the building continues to deteriorate. Water leaks into the roof, century-old steam pipes are bursting, and chunks of masonry occasionally fall off. Mechanical and electrical systems were last modernized in the 1940s.

There is so much asbestos in the building that its removal "would require an estimated 300 people to work for two and a half years, during which the building would not be used," says the relevant committee. Additionally, there is a permanent fire threat. MPs remind that since 2016, 44 fire incidents have been recorded in Parliament, and the state of the building requires constant vigilance.

Yet lawmakers are hesitant to permit a more ambitious revitalization plan. Some are concerned that the public would be unhappy with the multi-billion-pound bill for such a project at a time when many people are barely making ends meet. Traditionalists are also reluctant to relocate from a building with subsidized restaurants and a terrace with a magnificent view of the Thames.

However, members of the Public Accounts Committee warn that while "the costs of renovation will be high, any further delays will be much more costly for taxpayers."

Committee Chair Meg Hillier stated that there is "a real danger that a catastrophic event will destroy the entire building before the work is completed or perhaps even started". The committee urged politicians and parliamentary authorities to draw up a clear budget and timeline for the execution of this massive task before it is too late.

Parliamentary authorities claim that work to ensure safety is ongoing throughout the parliamentary estate, with dozens of repair and restoration projects already underway. Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords are expected to vote on how to proceed with a large-scale and comprehensive renovation of the Palace of Westminster later this year.

History points a warning finger at the responsible, writes AP. The current parliamentary building, designed in the neo-Gothic style by architect Charles Barry, was built after its predecessor was destroyed by fire in 1834.