James Cleverly

The Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Client Board’s recent report, Delivering restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster: the costed proposals (HC Paper 1576) sets out a recommended way forward for the R&R Programme, including the scope of the works and cost and timing estimates of different delivery options.

Design work for the R&R works was carried out to meet the requirements set out by the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019 and a range of relevant UK regulations regarding building standards, health and safety, and consents. The outcome level assessment conducted by the R&R Programme Board also made specific reference to regulations and standards. A separate assessment of “the potential impact of government regulations” on the projected costs set out the R&R Client Board’s report has not been undertaken.

Officials from Parliament’s R&R Client Team have engaged recently with the Chair of the Building Safety Regulator. The R&R Delivery Authority plans engagement with the Building Safety Regulator and the Health and Safety Executive at the next stage of design.

Limited Liability Partnerships which carry on business in the UK are permissible donors. Scottish limited partnerships are not permissible company donors. Permissible company donors must be registered under the Companies Act 2006. Scottish limited partnerships are registered under the Limited Partnerships Act 1907.

The Commission has previously recommended that the law be amended to clarify that Scottish limited partnerships are permissible donors.

The Commission welcomed the certainty that all scheduled local elections will go ahead in May 2026. The Commission has contacted all affected local authorities to offer assistance and any additional support, working with them to address any immediate challenges.

Funding for the delivery of local elections is a matter for local authorities and Returning Officers, who would have made individual planning decisions regarding the funding to support the delivery of the polls.

The Commission has regular conversations with the Metropolitan Police and the Defending Democracy Taskforce about electoral security.

It has met regularly with the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Enquiries Team ahead of elections in London in May 2026. It has discussed the stationing of police officers at polling stations, including in Tower Hamlets. It will continue to engage ahead of polling day.

The Presiding Officer is responsible for the security of the polling station. The Commission provides advice to polling station staff on how and when to engage with police on security or electoral integrity matters.

Individual payments of £500 or less are not treated in law as a donation, so recipients are not required to identify the donor or check that they are a permissible source for donations.

The Commission has highlighted that there are some existing safeguards in law. Attempting to evade the restrictions on permissibility is a criminal offence, and the Commission advises parties to be vigilant to attempts to do so, such as repeated payments of £500 from the same source.

However, the Commission has raised the possibility of AI being used to facilitate split payments and conceal the source which would increase the risk from these smaller payments. The Commission is engaging with parties to seek information about their approach to these payments. It has recently published interim guidance on cryptocurrency donations, and will publish further guidance later this year.

The Commission has also published updated guidance on crowdfunding to ensure that parties understand how the law applies to donations raised through crowdfunding campaigns and can choose a platform that will support them to comply with the law.

The Commission published its evaluation of the Welsh automatic registration pilots on 15 December 2025.

The Commission’s correspondence to the Secretary of State is available on its website. In it the Commission makes clear its view that scheduled elections should go ahead as planned, and only be postponed in exceptional circumstances.

The Commission provides a range of services to Members to support them in their Parliamentary duties. It has not made a specific assessment of how these services support MPs in their representation of registered overseas electors.

It is for each individual MP to determine how best to perform their duties, including how they use services to support their representation of constituents.

The Commission’s assessment of the structural integrity, water ingress and condition of Portcullis House and its atrium is informed by surveys and ongoing inspections as part of the routine management of the Parliamentary Estate.

(a) Portcullis House – The building structure currently shows no visible signs of distress. More detailed intrusive surveys are scheduled for completion by summer recess 2026 to provide a fuller assessment. The causes of water ingress to the main roof have been identified and are being addressed through short‑term mitigation works, with longer‑term repairs proposed through the Portcullis House roofs project. The general condition of the building is continuously monitored by the Asset Management and Maintenance teams, with routine maintenance carried out as required. Additional projects are due to begin shortly to replace components, such as heating and cooling equipment, that have reached the end of their serviceable life.

(b) Atrium – Assessments to date indicate that the timber and steel structure of the atrium roof is generally in reasonable condition. A programme of detailed and intrusive surveys will be completed by the summer to review the structure and the overall condition of the glazed roof. Temporary works to reduce water ingress are planned for completion by summer recess 2026, with longer‑term repairs or replacement works to follow once scope of works and the associated funding has been approved.

Guidance on what the Equality Act 2010 means for political parties, including candidate shortlists, is provided by the Equality and Human Rights Commission here: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/equality-act-2010-guide-political-parties

The National Church Institutions of the Church of England (NCIs) have not conducted a formal assessment because the management of council tax levied on vicarages is handled at a diocesan level, and retired clergy are responsible for their own council tax on their retirement properties.

A broad, high-level assessment was conducted shortly after the Government's initial budget announcement in November 2025. It indicated that the proposed changes to council tax would mainly impact dioceses in regions with vicarages in higher property bands, especially the London Diocese. Any extra council tax payable would be borne by dioceses for housing parish clergy, archdeacons, and suffragan bishops; by cathedral chapters for housing cathedral clergy; and by the Church Commissioners for diocesan bishops' housing.

Since 2021, the Church Commissioners have routinely made formal representations to the Government on proposed reforms to leasehold and ground rents. These have included written submissions, correspondence with Ministers, participation in relevant Law Commission consultations and debates in the House of Lords.

Throughout the development of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LAFRA), the Church Commissioners have consistently highlighted the risk that the loss of marriage value would diminish the Charity's ability to support its beneficiaries, particularly those most in need.

The Church Commissioners await the Government's consultation on deferment rates to assess the full impact of LAFRA, noting that the proposals would result in a one off transfer of value from the Charity to individual leaseholders, in some cases amounting to significant sums.

The Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Rules are the responsibility of the Committee on Standards. The Code and Guide are regularly reviewed by the Committee with advice provided by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and I expect Members will have an opportunity to contribute to any such review.

The right to vote in secret is set out in UK electoral law. The Electoral Commission’s position, outlined in guidance to electoral administrators, has always been that anyone attempting to inappropriately influence how another person votes, or to steal someone else’s vote, is committing an offence.

The Electoral Commission’s guidance is clear that no other person is allowed to accompany a voter to a polling booth, unless a voter who is disabled or unable to read has requested assistance to vote. The Commission’s polling station handbook, which is available in every polling station, sets out that if polling station staff observe anyone else attempting to accompany a voter in the voting booth, they must approach them and tell them not to. If anyone does not comply with this instruction, the Presiding Officer has the power to order their removal from the polling station, either by the police or other authorised person. In all cases, a record should also be made in the polling station log.

This guidance was updated to reflect the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 and as part of our regular programme of reviewing and improving guidance for polling station staff.

The Electoral Commission was in close contact with the Returning Officer (RO) to quickly and carefully review the concerns that have been raised and the information available in relation to the by-election.

The Commission considers the performance of ROs in their delivery of elections through the performance standards framework. The Commission will make any assessment in relation to this by-election in due course.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt Hon. gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 26th January is attached.

The Cabinet Office accepts it was delayed in notifying Westminster City Council that the Admiralty House flat allocated to the former Deputy Prime Minister was being used on a second home basis. This was not the former Deputy Prime Minister’s error or responsibility. New legislation for the first time gave rise to the terms of a Minister’s occupation (as main or secondary residence) having a bearing on the council tax liability.

With particular reference to the requirements of Regulation16 of the Council Tax Administration and Enforcement Regulations 1992, the Cabinet Office notified Westminster City Council within 21 days of first having reason to believe that the property was in fact subject to the second home premium.

While Westminster City Council was provided with the correct information as soon as the Cabinet Office realised it was necessary, it is regrettable that this delay occurred. The Cabinet Office is taking steps to change its internal processes to ensure this does not happen again. This was not the former Deputy Prime Minister’s error or responsibility.

The National Fraud Initiative (NFI), as part of the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA), works closely with local authorities to help them identify and prevent fraud.

As part of this, the NFI is currently collaborating with local authorities to understand the fraud risks related to council tax second home premiums.

The Cabinet Office has published consultation principles which set out how consultations should be conducted.

They are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation-principles-guidance.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th January is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th January is attached.

The Government Property Agency (GPA), an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, is responsible for the administration and payment of any tax liabilities for Admiralty House. The Government Property Agency wrote to Westminster City Council in June to confirm that the former Deputy Prime Minister was residing in Admiralty House on a second home basis. Westminster City Council issued a bill applying the second home premium in July, which was paid in full the same day. The bill was paid for the full year of 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026.

The Cabinet Office accepts that it was delayed in notifying Westminster City Council that the Admiralty House flat allocated to the former Deputy Prime Minister was being used on a second home basis. This was not the former Deputy Prime Minister’s error or responsibility. It is regrettable that this delay occurred. The Cabinet Office is taking steps to change its internal processes to ensure this does not happen again.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of the 28th November is attached.

Admiralty House sits within Council Tax Band H and details of the bands, current Council Tax charges, additional premiums and published notices about Council Tax can be found at the following page: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/council-tax/council-tax-band-and-charges

I refer the Hon Member to PQ 95176.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer of 15 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 75123.

The National Fraud Initiative (NFI), as part of the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA), works closely with local authorities to help them identify and prevent fraud.

The NFI is currently collaborating with local authorities to understand the fraud risks related to council tax second home premiums. This insight will inform options to detect and prevent fraud in this area, including the potential for a data matching pilot. This research will also be used to determine the fraud risk and the effectiveness of a data share.

If it is concluded that a data share would effectively target the risks, a planned timetable will be agreed to deliver the data matching pilot.

The Second Homes Premium was introduced by Westminster City Council on the 1st April 2025. This was billed by the council in July 2025 as a one-off payment for the financial year and paid on the same day.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th November is attached.

The second homes premium was applied to the council tax bill for the former Deputy Prime Minister’s residence at Admiralty House for 2025-2026. No other premiums, discounts, exemptions, or disregards were applied.

As the property was a second residence, the Government was responsible for paying the Council Tax on Admiralty House, not the former Deputy Prime Minister - in line with long-standing precedent under successive governments. The Government Property Agency is responsible for liaising with Westminster City Council for matters concerning residency at Admiralty House.

Following the introduction of the second homes premium, this has been paid in full in a one-off payment in July 2025. This payment was made on the date the invoice was received from Westminster City Council. No revised council tax demand or reminder notice was received.

Advice on political activity is contained within the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code of Conduct requires public appointees - in their public role - to generally be, and be seen to be, politically impartial and to abstain from all controversial political activity. It also advises that appointees, on matters directly related to the work of the body, should not make political statements or engage in any other political activity. However, subject to these guidelines, the Code does not preclude engagement in general political activity by appointees. They must first have informed the body and/or sponsor department and should remain conscious of their responsibilities and exercise proper discretion at all times.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th September is attached.

Engagement with Westminster City Council (WCC) regarding Council Tax is managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA).

The GPA last engaged with WCC regarding the former Deputy Prime Minister's official residence in Admiralty House on 29th July 2025.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 16th July is attached.