New Speaker Lindsay Hoyle rules Big Ben will break its silence and bong on Brexit day

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BIG Ben will break its silence – and bong on Brexit day.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has over-ruled his Remainer predecessor John Bercow and given permission for the famous bill to mark Britains EU departure on January 31.

New Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has ruled that Big Ben will break its silence and bong on Brexit day

He gave the order after a plea from more than 50 MPs to mark the historic occasion.

Sir Lindsay has now ruled Brexit day is added to the list of special occasions for which the Great Bell tolls – along with New Years Day and Remembrance Sunday.

The bell has been silenced since August 2017 while the 160-year-old Elizabeth Tower, which houses it, underges a 60 million restoration.

A lift is being installed in the tower, while the clock hands and numbers are being re-painted in their original blue.

The hourly chimes have been silenced to protect the hearing of construction workers in the tower and only sound at moments of national significance.

The renovation work is expected to last for four years, meaning the there will be no regular bongs until 2021.