Lights, camera, action! Big Ben to be hired as a film set

Big Ben (or Queen Elizabeth Tower to give it the correct title) could be hired out as a film set to raise an extra £3m a year from the Parliament, the Daily Mail has reported.

Unveiled in a report by the House of Commons finance and services committee, the proposal is amongst others including charging visitors for climbing the tower, ‘premium tours’ of Westminster Hall and hiring out some of the Commons’ most opulent dining rooms.

Speaking about the plans, Tory MP Robert Halfon, said: “Parliament should be for the people, and not become a theme park.

“This is the greatest Parliament in the world, in one of the oldest democracies in the world.

“It should not be a plaything for film moguls and big business trying to make a quick buck.”