Former prime minister Tony Blair considered plans to build a secret underground bunker beneath Downing Street as part of a vast redevelopment project designed to protect the heart of government in the event of a terrorist attack, according to newly released official files.
The proposals, drawn up while Blair was in office, formed part of a highly ambitious scheme codenamed Project George. The plans included a two-storey “subterranean suite” beneath the garden of No 10, featuring a conference room large enough to seat 200 people and capable of being used as a secure “safe-haven” during a major security incident.
Documents released to the National Archives show that the redevelopment would have fundamentally transformed the Downing Street estate. As well as the underground bunker, the plans proposed a new service road below ground so VIP visitors would no longer need to share the famous black door of No 10 with deliveries and refuse collections.
Under the proposals, staff and “general visitors” would have used a separate entrance, while a new café and “break out space” would have been created inside an atrium off the No 10 courtyard. “Recreation facilities” for staff were also planned for the basement.
The redevelopment was not limited to No 10. The scheme extended to Nos 11 and 12 Downing Street and to 70 Whitehall, home of the Cabinet Office. Plans show that Whitehall would have gained a new glass-fronted extension fitted with solar screening to reduce heat build-up and blast-resistant glazing to improve security.
The briefing papers make clear that the driving force behind the project was the poor condition of the historic estate, parts of which date back to the 17th century and had not undergone major refurbishment since the 1960s. Ageing sewers, mains power supplies and IT systems were said to be failing regularly.
“The main driver for this project is the serious deficiencies which constrain the full and effective use of the buildings,” the briefing pack said. It added: “These cause increased incidences of unacceptable failure of critical services unfitting for such important a vital office of government.”
Had the plans gone ahead, the buildings would have needed to be vacated for two years while construction work was carried out. This would have affected not only the prime minister and chancellor’s official residences, but also the offices of hundreds of civil servants based across the Downing Street and Whitehall complex.
The redevelopment was due to be funded through the private finance initiative, with costs spread over 30 years. Spending would have peaked at £63m in 2006–07 before falling to around £25.5m a year for the remainder of the period.
The files do not explain why the project was ultimately abandoned, although the scale and cost of the proposals are likely to have been a significant factor. The briefing pack was dated March 2005, just two months before the general election that returned Labour to power for a third term, a period when Blair’s focus would have been firmly on the campaign.
The revelations offer a rare glimpse into the scale of security and infrastructure planning considered at the height of the post-9/11 era, and underline how close Downing Street came to undergoing one of the most radical redevelopments in its history.
