Is there a building in Britain more important than the Palace of Westminster? Depending on who you listen to today, parliament is so important that MPs and peers really must agree to an expensive restoration that would see the Palace being emptied and rebuilt either in stages or all at once – or is it so important that MPs and peers should resist this dangerous plan with all their might?

The building is crumbling, at risk of a catastrophic and preventable fire, and has neither proper sanitation nor adequate access. Everyone accepts those facts, but what MPs cannot agree on is what to do about them. Today the restoration and renewal client board, the body trying to work out how to fix the building and make it fit for the future, has published a set of options on restoration. They include a full decant of both Houses from........

© The Spectator