Give us a cat! MPs plead for a mouser as Parliament's pest control bill hits a record £130,000

MPs have asked for a cat after a mouse infestation swept Parliament and taxpayers were left to foot the record £130,000 pest control bill. 

The bill includes the costs of hiring a full-time 'pest control technician' and laying over 1,700 bait stations.

The situation has become so dire that Penny Mordaunt MP brought in her own pedigree cat, Titania, to tackle the problem -  before officials banned the practice for breaking health and safety regulations.

While Whitehall boasts five mousers - Larry the Number 10 cat, Palmerston the Foreign Office moggy, Gladstone the Treasury puss and Evie and Ossie from the Cabinet office - Parliament has been left wanting.

Members of Parliament have complained that mice gnaw through food containers, scamper over desks and wreak havoc in the tea room, and have begged for a cat.

One Conservative MP voiced his worries to The Telegraph: "My biggest worry is that it was only the bongs of Big Ben that was scaring the mice off to any extent at all... anyway, on cats, if Number 10 and the FCO can have one each, parliament should have dozens." 

MP Stella Creasy has previously said: "This is so UNFAIR. When does Parliament get its own cats? we’ve got loads of mice (and some rats!) after all!"

She brought up the issue again on Tuesday, saying: "I for one will be joining cross party efforts for feline membership of Parliament - not just for the mice, it's YouTube gold in waiting!"

Wes Streeting MP asked for a cat, telling The Telegraph: "Luckily, my part of the building isn't infested with mice, but it's time to stop pussy-footing around.

"Lots of staffers are scaredy cats when it comes to mice. A parliamentary cat might not be a purrfect solution, but after a summer of silly season stories about the Tory leadership, this is definitely the Mogg we've been looking for."

Anna Turley MP said: "Rather than spend a fortune on pest control why not let nature take its course and have a parliamentary cat or two. It will cheer the place up!"

Parliamentary staff have brought this issue up before.

Responding to a poster which told them ways to help end the mouse infestation - which included advice such as: "Store all your food, tea, coffee etc in lidded containers", one rebellious staff member wrote: "GET US A CAT".

A House of Commons spokesman blamed it on the renovation, saying: "The increase in pest control costs in 2016/17 is due to a higher number of maintenance projects across the estate which have disturbed pests and made them more visible, increasing the need for pest control, hawk flying and moth deterrents.  "Office renovations on the estate have also resulted in an increased requirement for pest control measures."

Battersea Dogs and Cats home has previously offered to supply a cat to Parliament, but the idea has been struck down by health and safety officials.

The House of Commons has "only animals allowed in Parliament are guide dogs or security dogs" and anyone who brings in other animals are "reminded of the policy and gently asked not to do it again".

Perhaps John Bercow can help- the Speaker could be sympathetic to the cause as he himself has a cat, called Order!