Members of the public and school groups are encouraged to visit the Houses of the Parliament and Palaces of Westminister. Following the restrictions put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, I am now resuming my own tours for residents of Harrow West, while paid tours can also be arranged through the Houses of Parliament. 

If you would like to join an upcoming tour of parliament please fill out the form below. Applications should be made as far in advance as possible, as there is currently a long list of residents waiting to join tours.

Watching a debate

Members of the public can see the House of Commons in action by sitting in the Public Gallery. It is located on a level above the floor of the Commons and looks down onto it. The Public Gallery is open to the public when the House is sitting, and is closed to the public when the House is in recess.

Tickets to the Public Gallery are also available through your MP but members only have a small allocation of tickets (two tickets, about once a fortnight) so requests should be made as far in advance as possible. The Wednesday afternoon sitting including Prime Ministers Question Time is particularly popular.

As an alternative to making ticket arrangements, visitors may join the public queue outside St. Stephen’s Entrance. A wait of 1 or 2 hours or more is usually common during the afternoons. Generally speaking, after ticket holders have left the Gallery and the afternoon queue has subsided, there is not normally too much pressure on places in the Gallery, except during controversial debates. Visitors who wish to minimise waiting times are therefore advised to arrive at about 13.00 or later.