Gentlemens’ urinal in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Whitehall office will cost £8k to cover up
A BID to cover up a gentlemens’ urinal in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Whitehall office will cost £8,000, a memo reveals.
She was told the Treasury loo, associated with Winston Churchill, cannot be removed because of its “historic significance”.
The matter has been looked into by the building’s architects on behalf of the Treasury and government estate teams.
A mandarin reveals the planning application to hide the Edwardian loo from view with a cover will cost around £8,000 and take 18 weeks for a council decision.
It would entail either extending the current glass panel upwards or even making a cover for the Armitage urinal.
But these options would then need consent for work to be carried out around the listed loo from Westminster City Council.
Officials have also suggested frosting over some glass that is already in position which could be done imminently.
Also, a cover that isn’t attached to the wall could also be installed straight away without the matter going to Westminster City Council.
A supplier has now been tasked with coming up with a design and costings for such a plan.
The urinal is understood to be the only toilet remaining from the early years of the building going back up to 100 years.
Reeves is the first female Chancellor, with the role dating back at least 800 years, with the toilet in place since the 1920s.
She succeeded Jeremy Hunt at the election after Labour’s historic win. The Treasury was approached for comment.