Why parliament needs to move out – and move on | Letters

Readers respond to Simon Jenkins’s article suggesting that parliament should relocate out of London

Simon Jenkins is right to characterise parliament as “outdated and immune to reform” (Notre-Dame was restored in five years and under budget. But the Palace of Westminster? No chance, 6 November). However, it is not only cost, practicality and design that are compelling reasons to empty the building and move to purpose-built premises. The building and the institution in their present form are entirely inappropriate for the workplace of a modern democracy.

The self-entitlement evident in the resistance to moving out, such as that voiced by, among others, Jacob Rees-Mogg, illustrates the assumptions of class and leadership roles in those most comfortable with the status quo, and with the arcane, outdated building and rituals, which must seem bizarre and intimidating to anyone not raised in privilege and the traditional public schools.

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