Green MP Sparks Fierce Debate Over Alcohol in the Commons

A newly elected Green Party MP has reignited a raw debate about the drinking culture in Westminster. Hannah Spencer, who won the Gorton and Denton constituency by-election, told PoliticsJOE she could smell alcohol on colleagues walking between votes. Her comments triggered reactions ranging from flat-out dismissal to serious calls for reform.

Spencer said she was “really uneasy” after spotting MPs gathered in a room, casually drinking during working hours. “You can smell the alcohol when people are in between votes,” she said. She pointed out that no bank employee or cleaner could return to work smelling of drink. Their employer would not allow it.

Her comparison cut straight to the point. “I just think the vast majority of us who have come from normal jobs know that’s not how the world works,” Spencer said. “So why does it work somewhere where arguably the most important decisions get made?”

Drinking Culture in Westminster Goes Beyond an After-Work Pint

Spencer is far from alone. A former parliamentary employee who worked at the Houses of Parliament between 2017 and 2019 described a “really heavy drinking culture.” Staff went out for drinks “pretty much every night.” She felt that alcohol misuse at work had moved well beyond socialising. Drinking tied itself to professional access and advancement.

“Alcohol was heavily involved with people climbing to the next level,” she said. “My male peers could grab lunchtime beers and talk promotion. Nobody offered that to me.” Her account reveals an institution where workplace alcohol consumption did not just become normalised. It became a tool of exclusion.

The data elsewhere supports these concerns. The Institute of Alcohol Studies identifies alcohol use as a key driver of workplace misconduct. In 2019, Lloyd’s of London banned all 40,000 pass holders from drinking during working hours. The Czech parliament went further and banned drinking inside its legislature entirely back in 2014.

A Long Record of Warnings Parliament Has Largely Ignored

This is not a new problem. In 2021, Conservative MP Tracey Crouch accused colleagues of “reeking” of alcohol while on duty. Back in 2012, former MP Eric Joyce received a conviction for assault after a brawl in the Strangers’ Bar. Former Labour MP Khalid Mahmood pointed to that incident as clear evidence of the “corrosive effect” heavy drinking produces on the estate.

Mahmood represented Birmingham Perry Barr from 2001 to 2024. He acknowledged the problem has eased somewhat over the past decade. Even so, he said parliament still provides “huge access to alcohol” and urged party whips to act. He wants them to discourage drinking during work hours and support anyone with a difficult relationship with alcohol.

Colleagues Push Back and Defend Parliamentary Drinking Habits

Labour MP Luke Charters fired back on X. He called Spencer’s remarks “classic clickbait farming” and insisted MPs work long days before occasionally sharing a drink with colleagues. He added that he himself had been “scandalously spotted” with an alcohol-free pint between votes.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage took a more theatrical line. He wrote that the Greens apparently support legalising heroin and crack but object to “an afternoon pint.” His quip drew attention. It also neatly sidestepped the actual concern Spencer raised about alcohol misuse at work during the parliamentary day, not drinks shared after hours.

Alcohol Misuse at Work Leaves Staff Feeling Sidelined and Unsafe

Parliamentary staff carry some of the most telling stories. One Muslim former staffer said they heard of incidents involving alcohol on the estate that left them feeling genuinely unsafe. They felt alcohol should not be served on the premises at all.

A current Muslim staffer offered a more layered view. Nobody forces staff to stay in a bar until 11pm, they said. But younger staffers early in their careers tend to stay late and attend every event. There is a culture of never leaving because the boss is always there.

That same staffer made a sharper point about the structural problem. Long, unsociable hours and votes at 11pm create the conditions for heavy drinking. Fix the hours and you partly fix the drinking culture in Westminster. You also make parliament more accessible to people with families or caring responsibilities.

Crossbench peer Baroness Shaista Gohir agreed that reform would be difficult given how long parliamentary days run. Most colleagues drink in moderation, she said, and sanctions exist for poor behaviour. She would, however, like to see a bar stocking fruit juices and smoothies as a proper alternative.

A Simple Question Westminster Still Cannot Answer

Spencer’s point is not complicated. She is not calling for prohibition. She is asking why parliament applies a different standard to itself than every other employer in the country applies to its staff.

In most workplaces, arriving at a meeting smelling of alcohol prompts a serious conversation with management. In Westminster, colleagues treat it as unremarkable. The drinking culture in Westminster sits at the centre of a broader accountability question. Are the people making decisions on behalf of the public doing so with a clear head?

Spencer put it plainly: “Life doesn’t work like that.”

Source: dbrecoveryresources