Fury over Deputy Commons Speaker's plan for a purpose-built Parliament to save £4bn of taxpayer's money Deputy Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle suggested new Parliament building Suggested current House of Commons could become a museum Tory MP Eleanor Laing condemned idea as 'abandoning an historic building'By Brendan Carlin Political Correspondent For The Mail On Sunday Published: 01:14 BST, 5 May 2019 | Updated: 01:17 BST, 5 May 2019 Viewcomments A bitter row over the crumbling Palace of Westminster erupted last night after the favourite to succeed John Bercow as Speaker suggested MPs should abandon the historic site for ever. Deputy Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle sparked fury by saying it could save taxpayers ‘a lot of money and a lot of time’ to build a purpose-built Parliament elsewhere in London. His surprise intervention came as MPs prepare this week to vote on pressing ahead with £4 billion plans to vacate the historic site while the Palace of Westminster is repaired. Deputy Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle sparked fury by saying it could save taxpayers ‘a lot of money and a lot of time’ to build a purpose-built Parliament elsewhere in London Last night, the call from Mr Hoyle was condemned by Tory MP Eleanor Laing, a rival for the Speaker job. She said: ‘We should treasure and repair this historic building – not just abandon it to become some museum piece or a glitzy five-star hotel.’ The row comes amid warnings that the dilapidated World Heritage complex is now such a fire hazard that it could fall victim to a Notre-Dame-style blaze. MPs are to vote this week on plans to go ahead with a £4billion renovation project that will see the building vacated for years to complete urgent repairs to offices, chambers and the Victorian-era sewerage system Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility