Speaker calls for review of Westminster booze culture

A REVIEW has been ordered of the drinking culture at Westminster, following an alcohol-fuelled rampage by MP Eric Joyce in a House of Commons bar.

John Bercow, the Speaker of the House, has asked officials to gather evidence ahead of a possible reappraisal of the opening hours and prices at the 19 bars and restaurants in parliament.

The investigation, which will also examine MPs’ drinking habits, could see bar staff given specific orders not to serve MPs and Commons staff who are already deemed to have had enough. Details of the review emerged as Mr Joyce, who was found guilty of headbutting a Tory MP, admitted that failure to address his problems with alcohol and violence would see him “die or go to jail”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In an interview, the MP for Falkirk, 51, said he had drunk a bottle of wine before he started arguing with a group of Tory MPs and decided to “physically stop them being in my face” after one of them asked one of his friends to shut up.

He also revealed that he had a long history of violence, including being convicted of assault and breach of the peace aged 15 after attacking one of his teachers, and was found guilty of stealing cars on several occasions.

He said leaving the army for politics in 2000 had made his behaviour worse and he was upset when passed over for a ministerial post by Tony Blair in 2005.

Mr Joyce said he hoped the incident in the Strangers’ bar would allow him to be able to “tackle the underlying issues and get real”.

Following the incidente, MPs on the Commons commission, which is chaired by Mr Bercow, decided the problem of excessive drinking required urgent action.

Among moves being considered are plans to raise drink prices, as well as ending the practice which allows MPs to run up large tabs.

Two years ago, it emerged that scores of MPs, including David Cameron and Harriet Harman, owed a total of more than £50,000 for food and drink.

The review is also likely to lead to the issuing of fresh guidance to all MPs on sensible drinking while at work.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A Commons spokesman said the review would take place before the end of April.

But Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for Rhondda, said bars in the Commons had changed radically in recent years.

“Sometimes when you go into the Strangers’ bar you feel as though you are in [a gay area of Soho],” said Mr Bryant, who is gay. “It is virtually a gay bar now and my husband sometimes worries about whether I should be allowed in there any more.”