A Conservative MP was stunned to find an unexpected visitor rifling through the paperwork in his parliamentary office on Monday morning.
Luckily for George Freeman, though, this was no Watergate-style break-in from political opponents or a crafty piece of subterfuge from a foreign spy.
It was a fox.
Freeman will be relieved to hear foxes are unable to read, while the fox may be disappointed to hear Freeman has not held ministerial office since 2023.
In a post on X, the Mid Norfolk MP wrote: ‘My staff saw that it was watered & relaxed as much as possible before being escorted off the premises by animal experts.
‘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 notoriously pest-ridden building on the parliamentary estate.
Perhaps his suggestion should not be discarded lightly, as unwelcome sightings in the crumbling site are only going in one direction.
Last year, there were 222 mice ‘actions’ – meaning times they were captured, killed or removed – compared to 178 the year before.
There were a further 23 actions involving general ‘mammals’, compared to just three in 2024, and 13 rat-related actions, up from five.
It isn’t the first time a Fox has found its way into a Westminster Cabinet.
Dr Liam Fox was the Conservative International Trade Secretary under Theresa May and Defence Secretary under David Cameron.
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