Cost of Supreme Court soars past £100m

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The bill for converting Middlesex Guildhall in Parliament Square into a Supreme Court will be £63million, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer has revealed.

Furniture, likely to be among the best money can buy, a vast library, computer equipment and consultancy fees will add a further £20.2million.

Moving lower courts previously based at the neo-Gothic building in central London to a new home at Isleworth, West London, will add a further £18.2million – taking the total to £101.4million. On top of this, annual running costs are put at £12.3million – a rise of £1.9million on the estimate a year ago.

Due to open in 2009, the court will be the highest in the land, acting as a final court of appeal and home to the Law Lords – currently based at the nearby Houses of Parliament.

The Tories branded it a waste of money. Shadow Constitutional Affairs Secretary Oliver Heald added: "The Supreme Court will consist of the same people as the current Law Lords. They will simply be sitting in a building less than 300 yards away.

"This move will cost a staggering £100million in set-up costs and millions more in running costs. Lord Falconer has clearly learned nothing from his attempt to run the Millennium Dome."

Lord Falconer said: "The Middlesex Guildhall will be transformed into a building suitable for such an important institution and enable the court to take its rightful place alongside its prestigious neighbours on Parliament Square."