UK Parliament drinks £1.2 million in booze

MPs, peers, staff and guests consumed 50,000 bottles of spirits and spent £1.2 million on alcohol in the Palace of Westminster in two years, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

According to an FOI request, MPs, their staff and guests consumed £1.2 million-worth of alcohol in two years

The spirits haul included 3,000 bottles of House of Commons-branded whisky, and a similar volume of speaker John Bercow’s signature Scotch, reports The Mirror.

In addition to the sizeable spirits volumes, MPs and their staff also knocked back 105,000 bottles of wine and champagne, and 28,000 bottles of beer.

Non-alcoholic bottles of Becks were ordered on only 56 occasions, notes the newspaper.

The figures came to light following an FOI request regarding money spent on alcohol in the Palace of Westminster from January 2014 to January 2016.

In response, The Commons said that alcoholic beverages were sold to members of the public and visitors, not just MPs.

“We have greatly increased the number of commercial, private hire events involving external customers in recent years, which accounts for a large proportion of our alcohol stock and sales,” said a spokesperson.

“By allowing commercial events to take place, we have greatly reduced the running cost of the House to the taxpayer.”

The news follows the UK government’s implementation of strict alcohol guidelines which warn that there is no safe level of consumption.