See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 13:54 BST, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 14:10 BST, 25 August 2026
Parliamentary chiefs are trying to work out how a fox managed to navigate fences, security guards and closed doors to end up in an MP's office.The wily intruder was discovered rooting through a stationery cupboard in former minister George Freeman's office yesterday morning. Staff gave the fox water before animal experts arrived to remove it safely.However, mystery remains over how the vulpine visitor gained access to Portcullis House. It is understood that officials are studying CCTV in an effort to work out what route it took and whether doors and windows were properly secured.Parliament is meant to be one of the most heavily protected buildings in the country, with 24-hour armed protection and guards. Areas are 'compartmentalised' so anyone moving any distance around the estate needs to use a pass repeatedly to get through doors. One bemused insider said of the fox: 'It would have had to open doors and go up lots of flights of stairs.' Former minister George Freeman posted pictures on social media of a fox skulking around under a desk, and even standing on a shelf The Parliamentary estate is one of the most heavily protected buildings in the country, and mystery remains over how the fox managed to gain access to Portcullis House (right) The Tory MP said his staff made sure the animal was 'watered and relaxed' before it was 'escorted off the premises by animal experts'The bizarre episode emerged yesterday when Mr Freeman posted pictures on social media. The Tory MP said his staff made sure the animal was 'watered and relaxed' before it was 'escorted off the premises by animal experts'.'Said fox is now safely released and roaming around the Victoria Tower Gardens area,' he added.Mr Freeman told the Daily Mail: 'My Parliamentary Caseworker went in this morning before 9am and heard a noise and found the poor little thing staring out from the stationery cupboard.'We gave it a bowl of water and called the House authorities who sent a pest control team... they said ''this is a first'' and removed it calmly from my office.' A Commons spokeswoman said: 'We received a report of a fox sighting in Portcullis House this morning. The animal was safely escorted off the estate by the relevant teams.'We work hard to keep Parliament safe for both the members of the public that visit and for the staff and parliamentarians that work here. 'Where issues are identified we act quickly to address them and minimise disruption as much as possible.'Rodents are a routine sight at Westminster, with those who work on the labyrinthine estate accustomed to finding mice skittering over desks.The Parliamentary authorities typically spend more than £100,000 a year on pest control. The fox was initially spotted by a staff member in a stationery cupboard yesterdayHowever, a fox turning up inside the buildings is highly unusual. Officials argued it was an 'isolated' incident and there is no evidence of a 'recurring problem'. Parliament has suffered a number of security issues recently, including one where a visitor hid in a toilet and then emerged to roam around in the early hours of the morning.Another saw an intruder climb into the estate in broad daylight, only being stopped by a heating engineer once he had reached far inside the House of Lords.
