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Norman Foster has called on the government to launch an architectural competition to design a new House of Lords complex if ministers pursue proposals to relocate parliament鈥檚 upper chamber.

His proposals came in response to at the weekend that permanently moving peers to York or Birmingham was 鈥渙ne of a range of options鈥� under consideration to 鈥渞econnect鈥� politics with voters outside of the capital.

Foster, who sat in the Lords as Lord Foster of Thames Bank between 1999 and 2010 when he , used a letter to The Times to argue that if peers were relocated to a new home that base should properly reflect the nation鈥檚 vision of the future.

鈥淚f the House of Lords is to be relocated north, we must use the power of architecture to express our political and economic ambitions,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e should take our cue from the 19th century, which understood how great buildings could demonstrate confidence in our future.鈥�

Foster, who is president of the Royal Fine Art Commission, pointed to the reconstruction of parliament following the fire of 1834.

鈥淏ritain applied its finest minds to creating a replacement,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he process, overseen by Prince Albert as chairman of the Royal Fine Art Commission, gave us the magnificent Palace of Westminster.

鈥淏ut the north, too, expressed its economic might through its buildings. St George鈥檚 Hall in Liverpool and Manchester Town Hall represent some of the finest civic architecture ever built in Britain.

鈥淚f we are to build a new House of Lords, we must set our sights every bit as high and produce work that represents the very best that our age can offer.鈥�

He concluded: 鈥淎n architectural competition, backed by a clear brief, would be the place to start.鈥�

Prince Andrew was patron of the Royal Fine Art Commission for six months last year, until controversy surrounding his friendship with millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from his public roles.

Prince Albert was his great, great, great grandfather.