Another £18m needed for repair work to the tower housing Big Ben
The Elizabeth Tower project was granted another £32m in 2017
An extra £18.6 million is needed to repair the tower which houses Big Ben, parliamentary authorities have been told.
The new costs would see the renovation bill rise by almost a third from £61.1 million to £79.7 million.
The increase has been put down to the discovery of asbestos, pollution and the discovery of extensive Second World War bomb damage in the Elizabeth Tower, which is home to the capital's famous bell.
But a spokesman for the House of Commons Commission said members were "extremely disappointed" by the request for "yet more funding".
"It is very frustrating to learn that the Elizabeth Tower project requires yet more funding, having agreed an extra £32 million in 2017," he said.
Published: by Radio NewsHub