The curious incident of the fox in the night time… Shocked MP finds furry visitor nosing through papers in Commons office
Conservative MP George Freeman was left startled after a fox was discovered rummaging through his Westminster office, having apparently found its way into Portcullis House and hidden in a stationery cupboard. His caseworker spotted the animal before 9am, and staff gave it water and kept it calm while a pest control team was called to remove it. While mice are a familiar nuisance in the Palace of Westminster's warren of corridors, a fox making its way inside is highly unusual, and parliamentary insiders described the episode as an isolated incident.
Freeman said pest control staff told him it was "a first" for them, and the fox was eventually escorted off the estate and released near Victoria Tower Gardens. Parliament typically spends more than £100,000 a year tackling pests such as mice, but pets like cats and dogs are barred from roaming the premises in case they become trapped, despite some MPs' requests. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who lives on site, is known as an animal lover and has kept cats, a parrot and a tortoise, though the Commons said such incidents are dealt with swiftly to keep the estate safe.
- A fox was found in George Freeman MP's Westminster office
- Staff gave it water before pest control removed it
- It was released near Victoria Tower Gardens; called an isolated incident
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The Palace of Westminster is the UK Parliament’s main home, and Portcullis House is a nearby building where MPs and their staff have offices. The buildings sit in central London, where foxes are common, but they are not usually found inside Parliament.
Parliament is a large, busy estate with many rooms and corridors, so it has a team to deal with pests such as mice. Animals that get inside can pose practical concerns, including becoming trapped, and staff are responsible for handling them safely.