Westminster ethics chief moots booze ban at Parliament

Westminster ethics chief moots booze ban at Parliament (as it’s revealed taxpayers spent £6.4m subsidising food and drinks for MPs last year) and suggests rule-breaking politicians should have their gold-plated pensions docked

• Daniel Greenberg wants sale of alcohol in Parliament to be ‘kept under review’

Westminster’s ethics chief today claimed the House of Commons should look at introducing a booze ban for MPs.

Daniel Greenberg, the Commissioner for Standards, said the sale of alcohol on the parliamentary estate should be ‘kept under review’.

He acknowledged there had been ‘behaviour problems’ linked to drinking, but said it was an issue that MPs were ‘looking at for themselves’. 

The House of Commons’ latest accounts reveal that taxpayers spent £6.4million last year effectively subsidising the cost of food and drinks in MPs’ bars and restaurants.

This was down from £7.5million in 2021-22 and £9.1million in 2020-21.

But it was still above the cost from the years before the Covid pandemic, with £4.6million spent in 2019-20 and £2.6million spent in 2018-19.

In an interview with Times Radio, Mr Greenberg also suggested the gold-plated pensions of MPs could be docked if they break the rules.

Westminster’s ethics chief claimed the House of Commons should look at introducing a booze ban for MPs

Daniel Greenberg, the Commissioner for Standards, said the sale of alcohol on the parliamentary estate should be ‘kept under review’

Mr Greenberg acknowledged there had been ‘behaviour problems’ linked to drinking, but said it was an issue that MPs were ‘looking at for themselves’

The House of Commons’ latest accounts reveal that taxpayers spent £6.4million last year effectively subsidising the cost of food and drinks in MPs’ bars and restaurants

Mr Greenberg refused to comment on individual cases when asked about MPs who have recently quit the Commons rather than accept a recommended punishment for wrongdoing.

But, when put to him that former MPs’ pensions could be reviewed in such circumstances, he added: ‘I think it’s something that one would need to look at very, very carefully.

‘I do think perhaps I can try to be helpful and say I do think these are conversations and discussions we should be having, but not in a kneejerk way – certainly not in a sort of instant reaction to a particular case that hits the headlines.

‘It’s something we should be considering carefully.’

He added: ‘I’m not going to say yes or no to withdrawal of support of that kind, because as I say, I think it’s complicated.

‘Do I think it’s something that should be looked at in the round? Yes, as part of the landscape review of self-regulation by the House.’

The Commissioner for Standards also said the sale of alcohol in Parliament should be looked at.

‘That’s clearly a matter for the House to decide for itself,’ Mr Greenberg said.

‘What I will say is it is one of the things that clearly many MPs are thinking about for themselves.

‘I think the behaviour, I think the attitude to alcohol in the workplace has changed throughout all workplaces.

‘It is something that MPs are looking at for themselves. Some different people have different views.

‘Have there been problems, behaviour problems that have been linked to alcohol? Of course there have.

‘And therefore it is something that again requires to be kept under review. Individual MPs will obviously will decide what works for them.’

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