Covering up Churchill urinal in Chancellor’s office would cost £8k
Rachel Reeves is said to have quashed plans to screen historic porcelain over expense to taxpayer
Cameron Henderson, 10 August 2024 • 3:23pm
Rachel Reeves has been told it would cost £8,000 to cover up a urinal used by Winston Churchill in her private Treasury bathroom.
The Chancellor has been told she could not remove the 100-year-old urinal without listed building consent, as it is of “historic significance”. Even applying for approval to cover it up would take months and cost thousands of pounds.
An internal Treasury memo seen by the Financial Times said: “It is understood to be the only toilet remaining from the early years of the building and it is associated with Churchill. As such, both the toilet and urinal are of historic significance.”
Ms Reeves is the first female Chancellor in the Treasury’s 900-year history. She was reported to have been considering modernising the black-and-white tiled room, which also has a lavatory, ahead of Labour’s election victory on July 4.
But one ally of the Chancellor told the newspaper: “When she was told it could cost £8,000 to even apply for listed building consent from the council, she pulled the plug on it. She’s not going to waste taxpayers’ money.”
Ms Reeves has resorted to placing a temporary cover over the urinal, which is already blocked off by a glass panel, as civil servants look for a way to conceal it permanently, The Times reported.
An internal document from civil servants seen by the newspaper said it would require planning permission to “extend the glass panel upwards and/or provide a cover to the urinal”.
“This will be at least an 18-week process and cost in the region of £8,000 for the application alone,” the internal note said.
An alternative plan to frost the existing glass panel could also cost thousands as “it would have to be designed and custom-made due to the shape”, the document said.
Another low-cost solution Treasury figures were understood to be mulling was to partially obscure the offending urinal with a pot plant.
Ms Reeves embarked on her first major international trip, to New York and Toronto, this week in order to drum up investment in the UK and to meet women in finance.
The Treasury was approached for comment.
Rachel Reeves is said to have quashed plans to screen historic porcelain over expense to taxpayer
Cameron Henderson, 10 August 2024 • 3:23pm
Rachel Reeves has been told it would cost £8,000 to cover up a urinal used by Winston Churchill in her private Treasury bathroom.
The Chancellor has been told she could not remove the 100-year-old urinal without listed building consent, as it is of “historic significance”. Even applying for approval to cover it up would take months and cost thousands of pounds.
An internal Treasury memo seen by the Financial Times said: “It is understood to be the only toilet remaining from the early years of the building and it is associated with Churchill. As such, both the toilet and urinal are of historic significance.”
Ms Reeves is the first female Chancellor in the Treasury’s 900-year history. She was reported to have been considering modernising the black-and-white tiled room, which also has a lavatory, ahead of Labour’s election victory on July 4.
But one ally of the Chancellor told the newspaper: “When she was told it could cost £8,000 to even apply for listed building consent from the council, she pulled the plug on it. She’s not going to waste taxpayers’ money.”
Ms Reeves has resorted to placing a temporary cover over the urinal, which is already blocked off by a glass panel, as civil servants look for a way to conceal it permanently, The Times reported.
An internal document from civil servants seen by the newspaper said it would require planning permission to “extend the glass panel upwards and/or provide a cover to the urinal”.
“This will be at least an 18-week process and cost in the region of £8,000 for the application alone,” the internal note said.
An alternative plan to frost the existing glass panel could also cost thousands as “it would have to be designed and custom-made due to the shape”, the document said.
Another low-cost solution Treasury figures were understood to be mulling was to partially obscure the offending urinal with a pot plant.
Ms Reeves embarked on her first major international trip, to New York and Toronto, this week in order to drum up investment in the UK and to meet women in finance.
The Treasury was approached for comment.
You've got to be kitten! Adorable cat is born with FOUR ears thanks to a rare genetic mutation
The cat, named Audio, was taken in to the True Rescue shelter last month
By Shivali Best For Mailonline
Published: 06:58 EDT, 9 August 2024 | Updated: 06:58 EDT, 9 August 2024
The idea of a four-eared cat might sound like a creature from the lastest science fiction blockbuster.
But it has become a reality in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where a feline has been born with four ears thanks to a rare genetic mutation.
The cat, named Audio, was taken in to the True Rescue shelter last month with his three other siblings.
Writing on its Facebook page, True Rescue explained: 'This kitten came into our shelter today with his 3 other siblings, and he has a rare genetic mutation having been born with FOUR EARS!
'The last kitten we were able to find research about that had 4 ears came from Turkey and was from 2 years ago.'
Audio was just 8-9 weeks old when he was brought in to the rescue centre after being discovered with his litter mates in Nashville, Tennessee.
In a video posted to its Facebook page, a staff member at True Rescue explained: 'They were found duct taped inside a box with no air holes, and a good samaritan was able to get them out, get them fed, and get them to us.'
Placing Audio on a table, they added: 'He has four ears!
'We have front-facing ear flaps and then rear-facing ear flaps.
'He is very sweet and very grateful not to be stuck in that box anymore.'
The photos and videos of Audio have garnered huge attention on Facebook, where animal lovers have flocked to the comments to express their delight.
'This is SOOO cool! I love genetic abnormalities, just fascinating. Glad he is doing well,' one user commented.
Another added: 'He's so precious! The ears remind me of Dobby, I think that would be a cute name for him.'
And one joked: 'Extra ears to ignore with.'
While cats with four ears are rare, they're not unheard of.
According to a study, published in the Journal of Heredity back in 1957, the feature is due to a recessive mutation that only affects the outer ear flaps (also known as pinnae), and not the inner-ear mechanism.
However, that study also found that many cats with the mutation also have smaller eyes, an undershot jaw, and were more inactive and lethargic.
In recent years, several four-eared felines have hit the headlines, including a Russian Blue named Midas who has amassed a whopping 344,000 followers on Instagram.
The cat, named Audio, was taken in to the True Rescue shelter last month
By Shivali Best For Mailonline
Published: 06:58 EDT, 9 August 2024 | Updated: 06:58 EDT, 9 August 2024
The idea of a four-eared cat might sound like a creature from the lastest science fiction blockbuster.
But it has become a reality in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where a feline has been born with four ears thanks to a rare genetic mutation.
The cat, named Audio, was taken in to the True Rescue shelter last month with his three other siblings.
Writing on its Facebook page, True Rescue explained: 'This kitten came into our shelter today with his 3 other siblings, and he has a rare genetic mutation having been born with FOUR EARS!
'The last kitten we were able to find research about that had 4 ears came from Turkey and was from 2 years ago.'
Audio was just 8-9 weeks old when he was brought in to the rescue centre after being discovered with his litter mates in Nashville, Tennessee.
In a video posted to its Facebook page, a staff member at True Rescue explained: 'They were found duct taped inside a box with no air holes, and a good samaritan was able to get them out, get them fed, and get them to us.'
Placing Audio on a table, they added: 'He has four ears!
'We have front-facing ear flaps and then rear-facing ear flaps.
'He is very sweet and very grateful not to be stuck in that box anymore.'
The photos and videos of Audio have garnered huge attention on Facebook, where animal lovers have flocked to the comments to express their delight.
'This is SOOO cool! I love genetic abnormalities, just fascinating. Glad he is doing well,' one user commented.
Another added: 'He's so precious! The ears remind me of Dobby, I think that would be a cute name for him.'
And one joked: 'Extra ears to ignore with.'
While cats with four ears are rare, they're not unheard of.
According to a study, published in the Journal of Heredity back in 1957, the feature is due to a recessive mutation that only affects the outer ear flaps (also known as pinnae), and not the inner-ear mechanism.
However, that study also found that many cats with the mutation also have smaller eyes, an undershot jaw, and were more inactive and lethargic.
In recent years, several four-eared felines have hit the headlines, including a Russian Blue named Midas who has amassed a whopping 344,000 followers on Instagram.
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