In an unprecedented move, forthcoming feature film Suffragette has been granted permission to film inside the Palace of Westminster.

Shooting is already underway on the period feature; the team will move into the House of Commons from next month.

Suffragette director Sarah Gavron said of the news: “Our film is inspired by the true stories of the foot soldiers of the Suffragette movement, women who were willing to sacrifice everything in their fight for the right to vote.  We are honoured to be allowed to recreate a crucial moment in that long journey towards equality by filming where the Suffragettes actually brought their protest over 100 years ago.”

Chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission Adrian Wootton added: “Opening up such an iconic location as the House of Commons for filming is fantastic news. This unique location promises to attract more production to the capital, and by working with the industry and our partners, we will help ensure it can get the most out of filming, while protecting the integrity of this very special building.”

Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan star in the film; Streep should at least have an idea of the look of the place as she filmed The Iron Lady using the Houses of Parliament set which at the time (early 2011) was in place at Wimbledon Film & TV studios.

The announcement follows decisions by the House of Commons Administration Select Committee (June 2013) and the House of Commons Commission (July 2013) to filming access for appropriate commercial projects during times when Parliament is not sitting.

The money raised from the arrangement will be used to offset the House of Commons running costs. Future applications to film will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Further details on Suffragette can be found on Production Intelligence, our online database of advance and archive productions.