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When Hannah Spencer spoke of her shock that in Westminster “you can smell the alcohol when people are in between votes”, she may not have expected such a lively response.
The Green party MP, who won the Gorton and Denton byelection in February, made the comments in an interview with the Joe website, saying she was “really uneasy” about the drinking culture in parliament.
She added that there had been cases of “questionable and dangerous behaviour” by staff and potentially some MPs because of the “unprofessional” culture of drinking.
After Spencer’s interview was published, a social media storm in a pint glass ensued, with some other parliamentarians quick to criticise her comments. Nigel Farage, who is often seen with a pint in his hand, was one of the first to jump in. The Reform UK leader said: “The Greens are happy to legalise heroin and crack, but now we learn they think an afternoon pint is a step too far.”
The Green party leader, Zack Polanski, defended his colleague, writing on X: “Of course Farage misrepresents what Hannah is saying. An afternoon pint is different to drinking on a work day and then going to vote on decisions for millions of people.”
Others noted that Spencer did not appear to be suggesting that MPs should start taking heroin in the Commons.
The drinking culture in Westminster has been much-criticised and parliament’s Strangers bar closed temporarily last year after an alleged spiking incident. Security measures were tightened and visitors and parliamentary staff can visit only with an MP present. Strangers is one of several subsidised bars where MPs can often be found between votes.
Natalie Fleet, Labour MP for Bolsover, said that while “working in a palace is mad”, the smell of “fags and beer” was one of the things “that make it seem [a] tiny bit normal”.
Luke Charters, Labour’s MP for York Outer, said: “Breaking news: MPs are human and sometimes have a drink. MPs work long days for constituents, and yes, sometimes share a drink in the evening with colleagues.”
There was some sympathy for Spencer’s comments. Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, said she understood the Green MP’s view: “I remember being surprised at the drinking culture when I first arrived. It’s actually much better than it used to be.”
However, she added that for some of her colleagues, drinking was a way to cope with the pressure of the job. “I think it’s sad to see some members who are obviously finding it difficult to be away from home for such long periods and who start to develop a habit of drinking to help with their loneliness,” she said. “Hannah should think about that. It’s a great honour being an MP, but the hours are long and those who can’t get home each night can find it difficult.”
One 2024 intake Labour MP said she had also been surprised by the attitude to drinking in parliament. “I’ve been asked whether I am pregnant when I choose orange juice instead of wine at events,” she said. “Drinking is so normalised.”
She said the working set-up in parliament was unhealthy and she was often waiting for hours between votes, adding: “I don’t really drink, but I send emails until 10pm, and that’s not healthy either is it? Some people go and drink, maybe they go to the tea room and eat too much, I send too many emails! We need to talk about that.”
She suggested that electronic voting for late votes might help.
Labour MP Alex Sobel agreed, saying: “I also think late votes and how we vote are the issue. I’ve never actually seen anyone smell of booze in the lobby so I don’t recognise what Hannah is saying about that.”
Other opposition MPs have leapt to Spencer’s defence. Alliance party MP Sorcha Eastwood said: “Can’t get my head around this, I worked in Tesco, manufacturing, the health service and construction – guess what? We all worked long hours, mostly on low pay and we had considerable levels of pressure. MPs drinking during work in parliament? The place we make laws for all the other workers? And it’s OK for us to drink during work?”
Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson, said he occasionally had pints on the parliamentary estate after voting. “I try not to judge people,” he added. “When the house sits late I tend to go to the library – it’s a useful time to get things done. Having said that, I will go for a pint with an old school friend after votes tomorrow.”
The Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, a parliamentary watchdog, has said the drinking culture in Westminster was a “frequent factor” fuelling inappropriate behaviour. It said a theme in its investigations were parliament’s numerous bars, where alcohol consumption was “leading to intimidating behaviour like shouting and swearing”.
The Woolsack, another bar frequented by parliamentary staff, had a rebrand after becoming notorious for brawls and misconduct scandals. There is also a bar in the House of Lords cafeteria as well as several dining rooms that serve alcohol.
