Police are investigating an alleged spiking incident at a parliamentary bar.
A report was made to the Metropolitan Police in early January by a woman who claimed she had her drink spiked in Stranger’s Bar in the Palace of Westminster.
A spokesman for the force told The Telegraph that they had “received reports of an alleged spiking at an establishment in the House of Commons, on Tuesday, 7 January at around 18:30hrs.”
They added: “The investigation is ongoing and the victim is being supported by officers. There have been no arrests at this stage.”
A Parliament spokesman told The Telegraph: “We are aware of an incident which took place on the parliamentary estate in early January, which was reported to parliamentary security and is now being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service.”
Spiking involves putting alcohol or drugs into a victim’s drink without their knowledge or permission. It can also include injecting someone with a drink or drugs, as well as adding such substances to food, vapes or cigarettes.
Drink spiking is a standalone offence
The Government has outlined plans to make drink spiking a standalone offence under new laws, which would help improve investigation and prosecution.
Currently, spiking can be prosecuted as an assault or under the Offences Against the Person Act, but it is not a specific offence.
Westminster drinking culture has come under scrutiny over the past few years, with the parliamentary watchdog saying that alcohol was a “frequent factor” in its misconduct investigations.
Police received 6,732 reports of spiking in the year ending April 2023, including 957 cases involving needles. The average age of victims was 26, with women accounting for 74 per cent of all cases.
Most reported incidents – 80 per cent – occurred in public places, particularly in bars or nightclubs, according to figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council.