article_snippet: John Bercow claimed a massive repair and modernisation programme was needed  to ensure the Palace of Westminster remains safe and useable .
article_snippet: John Bercow claimed a massive repair and modernisation programme was needed within a decade to ensure the Palace of Westminster Westminster remained safe and useable –
article_snippet: Speaking in Westminster, John Bercow said it would be a 'huge pity' if MPs had to 'abandon the site' because the site had become unsafe.
article_snippet: But John Bercow said keeping The Houses of Parliamentfit for purpose' would require a 'not inconsequential sum of public money' within the next decade.
article_snippet: John Bercow said: 'This is a fabulous institution located in awesome surroundings.
article_snippet: This will require bold, imaginative leadership to ensure we are a Parliament fit for purpose and this Victorian legacy can be rendered practical for contemporary representation.'
article_snippet: Referring to the blaze that burned down the old palace of Westminster in 1834, John Bercow said: 'It would be a huge pity if we decided that by the time we had reached the 200th anniversary of the vast fire which consumed the old parliament and brought this one in to being, we had to abandon this site and look elsewhere in order to serve the public interest properly. '
article_snippet: John Bercow said £3 billion was 'a realistic scenario' and added that Liberal Democrat MP John Thurso, the spokesman for the House of Commons Commission, 'may even say that that's on the cautious side'.
article_snippet: John Bercow said John Bercow was 'very uneasy about the idea of decanting' from the Palace of Westminster while the work was carried out because 'once you are out it can be very difficult to get back' and the pressure to get on with the refurbishment would be reduced.
article_snippet: John Bercow said: 'If we were to decant, should we consider all options including, almost certainly, a regional option?
article_snippet: Any decisions would have to be made by the whole House of Commons, John Bercow said, and the sums of money involved would require Government funding.
article_snippet: In a speech to the Hansard Society, John Bercow also defended John Bercow own 'controversial' approach to the Speaker's job, which has led to accusations of bias from some Tory MPs.
article_snippet: John Bercow said John Bercow had been determined to 'test the elasticity of the office'. '
highlights_snippet: John Bercow said it would be a 'huge pity' if MPs have to 'abandon the site'
  John Bercow said keeping it 'fit for purpose' would require 'not
highlights_snippet: John Bercow said £3bn figure was 'realistic' and possibly 'on cautious side'
  