Palace of Westminster: Area in disorder and squalor says report

The report accuses of the Met Police of not dealing with "serious potential security threats"

The area around Parliament has "declined into a degree of squalor and disorder", a report has claimed.

Analysis by Policy Exchange, a right-wing think tank, found violent crime rose 3.5 times faster around Parliament than in Westminster as a whole.

It also claims the area is a mess because "its governance is a mess".

The Greater London Authority, one of the bodies responsible for the area, says it "works closely with numerous partners to maintain the space".

Written by Andrew Gilligan, a former adviser to Boris Johnson when he was London's mayor and then the prime minister, the report says control of the public spaces around Parliament is split between eight different bodies and that Parliament Square alone is controlled by three different official agencies.

It states: "Windows of the great public buildings, broken by protestors, are splintered or patched with duct tape.

"Anarchist and anti-police graffiti is painted on those buildings' walls; some of it has been there for more than two years. Urine trickles from the corners."

It adds protesters blast amplified music for hours and that skateboarders use the steps of Portcullis House as a practice area.

Security threats

Between 2013/14 and 2021/22, recorded violent crime increased by 168% going from 68 crimes a year to 182, while the rest of the borough of Westminster increased from 6,807 to 10,040, a 47% increase, the report found.

Public order offences were up 252% on the streets within a quarter-mile of Parliament; the rest of the Westminster borough experienced a 75% increase, it added.

The report also says the Met Police is letting "serious potential security threats develop" by allowing the erection of semi-permanent structures close to sensitive buildings and claims some MPs have a "lack [of] confidence that the police will protect them" when leaving government buildings.

It recommended a "controlled area" for protests and for Westminster City and Lambeth councils to take out a wider Public Space Protection Order, covering anti-social behaviour in the whole area around Parliament.

It also called for more to be done to tackle illegal gambling and street vendors.

Westminster City Council said the area around Parliament Square was not under its jurisdiction.

The statue of Winston Churchill is on a list of "contentious statues" and is at risk of being targeted by protesters

The GLA, which has oversight of the Met Police, said the government partially funded the force to protect government buildings, leaving a "£159m per year shortfall" which had "to be made up by London taxpayers".

"Fully funding the Met for these responsibilities would make a significant difference not only to its ability to protect the centre of London but also to the safety of all of our communities, a point the mayor continues to make to the government," the statement added.

The Met Police and Home Office have been approached for comment.

The report comes at a time with the government is exploring ways of reducing disruptive protests by widening police powers.

The government has said the changes seek to give police greater flexibility and clarity over when they can intervene however civil liberty campaigners, such as humans right group Liberty, say the proposals are a "desperate attempt to shut down any route for ordinary people to make their voices heard".

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