He takes Britain's Parliament to water, ceases hearings

The House of Representatives suspended daily work as water began to flow into the room from the ceiling, marking a part of the press gallery.

During a debate on HMRC methods to regain unpaid tax and national security, waterdrops began to flow down, at the time conservative MP Justine Greening was speaking, who was forced to stop and see this rare sight.

Plumbers sent to examine the situation said they did not know if the cause was a broken tube or a leak from a roof or channeling.

The session went on for 10 minutes, when Justin Madders began his contribution by pointing to the flood and saying: “I think there is a symbolic for this happening, referring to the broken parliament”.

But when Madders finished, Deputy Chairman Lindsey Hoyle told MPs he was suspending work, sitting in expectation of repairing the leak.

Later, the House of Representatives session has been postponed for another day.

The session was not obliged to hold for Friday, giving maintenance personnel time until Monday to fix the problem.

The XIX-century parliament has a long history, with MPs expected to approve a renovation plan costing at least 3.5 billion pounds, which would include MPs, colleagues and staff moving to other buildings for several years.

In addition to ancient plumbers and a broken network of steam pipes under pressure, parliament is seen as an important fire hazard, with 24-hour fire patrols.