‘MPs have had their stomachs pumped’: concerns over ‘alcohol-soaked’ culture in Westminster

Alcohol is embedded in profession where long hours, loneliness and lobbying are the norm, report finds Parliament is “Britain’s last alcohol-soaked workplace” where MPs are offered free drinks as early as midday despite alcohol-related scandals, a report has revealed. Drinking is commonplace and some MPs have had their stomachs pumped after consuming so much alcohol that they ended up in hospital, one disclosed. Alcohol is “embedded” in how Westminster works, driven by loneliness among MPs, socialising in order to meet ministers, and drinks being served at daytime and evening events. Those are the findings of a survey of 190 MPs and their staff which shows that Westminster’s drinking culture endures, despite rising concern and a string of incidents, including an MP’s researcher allegedly having had her drink spiked in Strangers’ bar in parliament and the revelation that the Labour MP Neil Coyle was at one time drinking up to 200 units of alcohol a week – the equivalent of 10 pints a night. The spiking led to a police investigation and the temporary closure of Strangers’ bar. The report, by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) thinktank, said: “The findings s