Have you ever wondered how politicians manage to slip into Parliament unnoticed by angry protestors gathered on Parliament Square? In all the times you’ve stood looking up at Big Ben have you seen a notorious MP slip past you in the throng of phones on selfie sticks?
Well, there is a reason for that. There is a secret door in Westminster Underground station which MPs and civil servants can use to avoid the rabble (and the rain) and get straight into the corridors of power without raising their heads above any parapet.
There is no sign or indication that it is there or that it leads into the Palace of Westminster – it’s on a strictly need-to-know basis. There is no police manning the covert entrance either like the armed guards above ground, at least none that you can see from the outside that is.
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The entrance leads through an underpass directly into Portcullis House – the newer Parliamentary office building which is connected to the old palace. The underpass had been there for a while but a security gate was added in 2019 the Daily Mail reported.
The addition was met with controversy as the underpass was a frequent spot for rough sleepers to post up. A man was even found dead just months before the gate was erected. MPs reported the underpass used to “stink” said the Sun and people saw the addition of the barrier as counterproductive to solving the homeless problem. One MP even told the Sun at the time: “It’s clearly just there to keep beggars at a distance.”
Greg Beales, campaigns chief from the homelessness charity Shelter, said at the time: “When homelessness has risen so dramatically in the last decade, we desperately need politicians and the government to take urgent action. Not with barriers but by providing the support and assistance we know can help people to access a safe and stable home.”
Recently, social media influencer and London tour guide operator Bowl of Chalk posted a video on Instagram showing how you can find the secret passage. As you come out of the main ticket hall beyond the ticket barriers, instead of continuing straight forward up the stairs to Parliament Square as you might usually do, you turn left and head down the corridor.
At the first right, you’ll find the secret gate – a white four-foot barrier which can only be opened by those with a Parliamentary pass. There is no sign saying where the passage goes, only signs pointing away from it to Exit 1 and 2 to Westminster Pier and the Embankment.
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