The House of Commons has been suspended for the day after water began pouring into the chamber from the ceiling, soaking a section of the press gallery.
During a backbench debate on HMRC’s methods of recouping unpaid tax and national insurance, a torrent of water started to come down as the Conservative MP Justine Greening spoke, prompting her to pause and look up.
The water soaked benches and the carpet in the far corner of the lower press gallery, where journalists watch proceedings, and filled ceiling light fittings in the corridor outside. There was also a major leak into a cafe on the floor above.
Officials sent to examine the situation said they did not know whether the cause was a burst pipe or a leak from a roof or guttering, potentially caused by water that had built up with recent rainfall.
The Commons session continued for 10 minutes, with the Labour MP Justin Madders beginning his contribution by noting the flood and saying: “I think there’s probably some symbolism going on, about how broken parliament is.”
But when Madders finished, the deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle told MPs he was suspending the sitting pending repair work on the leak. Later the Commons was adjourned for the day.
The chamber was not due to sit on Friday, giving maintenance staff until Monday to fix the problem.
The crumbling state of the 19th-century estate is a longstanding issue, with MPs expected to approve a refurbishment plan costing at least £3.5bn, which would involve MPs, peers and staff being moved to other buildings for several years.
As well as ancient plumbing and a crumbling network of pipes carrying pressurised steam, parliament is seen as a significant fire risk, with 24-hour fire patrols in place.
