Alcohol Is Freely Available All Day Within Westminster and Is Causing “Real, Measurable Harm” in the Workplace, According to a Report

Report warns Westminster MPs are drinking so heavily some need stomach pumps Alcohol is freely available all day within Westminster and is causing “real, measurable harm” in the workplace, according to a report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies. The study, based on a survey of 190 MPs and their staff, found nearly 10 per cent of respondents described a negative experience due to someone else’s drinking at work, most commonly unwanted sexual attention, harassment, insults or humiliation. The report warned that drinking culture is causing “real, measurable harm, and no clear route to address it”, and described alcohol as “deeply embedded” in Westminster.

It said one MP referred to colleagues having had their stomachs pumped in hospital and going back into Westminster the following day. Younger staff face additional risks due to “ingrained power dynamics and increased peer pressure to drink alcohol”, the report added. The findings come amid concerns over Westminster’s drinking culture and a string of incidents, including a parliamentary researcher allegedly having her drink spiked at Parliament’s infamous Strangers’ Bar.

Green Party MP Hannah Spencer criticised the drinking culture in April, calling it “unprofessional and worrying” and accusing some MPs of drinking before voting. Dr Beccy Cooper, MP for Worthing West, said: “This report is a wake-up call, but also an opportunity. Westminster is changing for the better, and this is our chance to make sure our own workplace lives up to the standards we ask of everyone else.

A modern Parliament should be one that support the health and wellbeing of everyone who works here. The report described the easy accessibility of alcohol on the Parliament estate, noting it encouraged unhealthy behaviour from affecting sleep and stress levels to potentially normalising high-risk drinking. Most survey participants said they accepted alcohol would be present in Parliament, such as in on-site bars, but did not have to be freely available at all hours.

Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: “Parliament has modernised in many ways over recent years, but our findings suggest there is still work to do to ensure it is a healthy, safe and inclusive place to work. MPs and staff interviewed for this study made constructive, common-sense recommendations, such as limiting the provision of free alcohol to evening events and improving support and signposting for people experiencing alcohol problems while working in Parliament. This is also a policy issue.

If alcohol remains unusually central to the working culture of Parliament, there is a risk that the scale of alcohol harm across the UK is not seen as clearly as it should be. A healthier parliamentary workplace would support the people who work there and help create the conditions for more serious, evidence-based action on alcohol harm. A UK Parliament spokesperson said: “Any changes to Parliament's provision of alcohol would ultimately be a matter for Members to decide on. The estate is a unique working environment that includes public access and events, with our catering outlets and spaces serving thousands of customers each week.”””