A Conservative MP found an unexpected visitor rifling through paperwork in his parliamentary office on Monday morning. The intruder was a fox, not a political opponent or foreign spy.
George Freeman, the Mid Norfolk MP, said his staff ensured the animal was watered and relaxed before animal experts escorted it off the premises. In a post on X, he wrote: 'My staff saw that it was watered & relaxed as much as possible before being escorted off the premises by animal experts.'
Fox released near Parliament
Freeman added: 'Said fox is now safely released & roaming around the Victoria Tower Gardens area.'
Labour's Dr Zubir Ahmed asked if the creature caught mice, suggesting it 'could have a ball in PCH ground floor', referencing Portcullis House, a building on the parliamentary estate known for pest problems.
Pest issues on the estate
Last year, there were 222 mice 'actions' – times they were captured, killed or removed – compared to 178 the year before. There were 23 actions involving general 'mammals', up from three in 2024, and 13 rat-related actions, up from five.
This is not the first fox to find its way into a Westminster Cabinet. Dr Liam Fox served as Conservative International Trade Secretary under Theresa May and Defence Secretary under David Cameron.
