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New: Commons Speaker is urging MPs to stay away from Parliament as fears mount that it is again becoming a coronavirus hotbed. Has held a series of calls in the last week with vulnerable and older MPs to advise them of growing risk of contracting covid on the Westminster estate.
His advice follows several outbreaks of the virus within Parliament. One centres around the Parliamentary police force, which is believed to have seen 45 Metropolitan Police officers test positive so far in the second wave - 17 alone on one day last week.
With the Speaker’s support, some MPs are now pushing Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg to strip down the Commons' functions to the minimum again and return to virtual debates and votes. But JRM is refusing, insisting it sets a bad example to the nation.
Concern is also growing among some Tory ministers over the safety of Parliament’s workers. One minister last night described the Palace of Westminster to The Times as “a good forsaken place with no ventilation and long enclosed corridors with too many people in them”.
Speaker's spokeswoman tells us: “As Covid cases are rising across the country, the last thing the Speaker wants to do is encourage MPs who are vulnerable to take risks by travelling into Parliament".
Sir Lindsay Hoyle will be on @TimesRadio after 8am.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle will be on @TimesRadio after 8am.
