Even the scurrying mice can’t quite dent the thrill of reporting from parliament

There aren’t many workplaces in which mice running across your desk would be considered a normal state of affairs, but it is becoming a near-daily occurrence in Westminster.

The state of parliament is worse than many people realise. What from the outside is a stunning display of Gothic grandeur is, once you enter the building, a shabby, patched-up mess of a palace.

The parliamentary press gallery has been infested with rodents in recent weeks, forcing staff to order a clear-out of food and paper over Easter. Reporters are frequently distracted from their stories by a small ball of fur scurrying across the edge of their vision.

Then there are the other hazards: the fire warnings, the faulty lifts, the leaky loos and the cordoned-off areas where bits of the buildings have fallen off. Many fear it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.

Journalists going to buy an afternoon coffee earlier this month were surprised to be met with the sight of water cascading through the roof of the press gallery canteen – a leak that quickly reached the House of Commons chamber and forced an early end to the day’s debates.

Working in parliament is never dull – but nor is it always comfortable. There is no air conditioning and the heating only works intermittently. The Independent’s office, housed in a 700-year-old part of the building, often requires coats to be worn indoors in winter, and the permanent use of desktop fans in summer.

But while it may be a health and safety official’s worst nightmare, few who work in parliament would change much about it. Despite the gripes, there is something wonderfully juxtaposing about writing about the dramatic twists and turns of the country’s political fate while you shiver in your coat and mice scurry around your feet.

Dodging falling masonry you may be, but you never truly tire of the history of the building. The Independent’s room sits in a turret near to the historic Westminster Hall, where so many events integral to British history have taken place. Few other jobs offer you that sort of privilege.

There is also a unique buzz around the palace that ebbs and flows with political events. On days of big votes, the air hums with anticipation and excitement. The end of the parliamentary term feels like the last day of school before the summer holidays, and the first day back very similar to the start of term, with excitement and trepidation about the weeks to come. Through it all, the sense of history being made never really goes away.

Working in parliament through months of historic late-night votes on Brexit and debates of huge national importance has been an experience that few of those lucky enough to present that will forget. Even if it is a bit cold.

Yours,

Ben Kentish

Political correspondent