Michael Gove has said he “wholeheartedly supports” temporarily relocating the House of Lords out of London while extensive restoration works are carried out.

Peers have voiced their opinion that the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, which is just a few minutes away from parliament, should be used while restoration works are carried out.

However, over the weekend, it was reported that Mr Gove was against the plans.

Speaking during departmental questions in the Commons on Monday, Mr Gove highlighted how civil servants have been relocated to different parts of the UK and suggested peers could do the same while the works are carried out.

Politics Hub: ‘Rocky start’ for PM in Northern Ireland

“Over the weekend there was speculation in some newspapers that that estimable effort by civil servants should be joined by members of the Lords,” he told MPs.

“Can I say that I would wholeheartedly welcome the relocation of the House of Lords to one of our great cities, and in particular the attractions of the six towns that constitute Stoke-on-Trent – as I saw last week – are formidable.

State Opening of Parliament: The Queen may not be fully stepping away, but her heirs are stepping up

Commons Speaker urges ‘radical’ reform to working practices in parliament after MP Neil Parish quits over porn ‘moment of madness’

Anne-Marie Trevelyan tells male MPs to ‘keep hands in your pockets’, amid claims of sexual misconduct in parliament

“And if the House of Lords were to relocate to Stoke-on-Trent, I think you could be assured of a warm welcome in one of the most attractive places in England.”

Repairs to the House of Lords do not yet have a fixed start date, but are likely to involve a full decamp from parliament.

The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that Mr Gove proposed Stoke-on-Trent, which is a 165-mile drive from London and played host to a recent away day for the cabinet, would be an “excellent home” for peers.

The newspaper also reported that the levelling up secretary had listed Burnley, Edinburgh, Sunderland, Plymouth, Wolverhampton, and York as other options in case Stoke was deemed unsuitable.

Responding at the time, shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy accused Mr Gove of “another recycled announcement from a government that first talked about this two and a half years ago”.

“For all the gimmicks, slogans and press releases, on every measure of levelling up, we are going backwards,” she said.

Meanwhile, former Lord Speaker Baroness Hayman said the plan was “bonkerooney”.

“I think [ministers] are really quite angry with the House of Lords at the moment and therefore [want to] kick them out. It’s punishment,” she told BBC Radio Four’s The World This Weekend.

Earlier this year, a report said the restoration could take up to 76 years if politicians and peers were not moved.

The project’s sponsor body has said the cheapest option is for a “full decant”, which would reduce the cost to between £7bn and £13bn.

Any plan will be subject to a final vote by parliament.

Related posts:

Every UK adult could receive both jabs by August, says head of COVID vaccine taskforce Children falling through the gaps because those in charge ‘don’t see them’ Patel urged to reject ‘groundless speculation’ Gibraltar will be used to process asylum seekers Refugees arriving via approved route to be given indefinite leave to remain Cameron ‘did absolutely nothing wrong’ over links with financial services firm – minister Boris Johnson says vaccine passports will ‘definitely’ become part of international travel ‘We don’t know how to take risks’ – Brexit negotiator Barnier admits EU vaccine ‘mistakes’ PM told to ‘get a grip’ ahead of climate summit instead of ‘touring the beaches’ on holiday ‘Not the government’s job’: Chancellor appears to rule out helping businesses with gas prices Javid claims improving GP care is part of ‘levelling-up’, but can he get results by the next election? Met Police culture ‘under scrutiny again’ after case of schoolgirl strip-searched by officers P&O ferries may have ‘broken the law’ in sacking 800 workers, PM says