Parliament’s Strangers’ bar will be closed next week while security arrangements are reviewed after an alleged spiking incident.
A House of Commons spokesperson said the bar, which is located on the parliamentary estate and is frequented by MPs on weekday evenings, would be closed from Monday.
“The safety of everyone on the estate remains a key priority of both houses,” the spokesperson said.
The Metropolitan police are investigating after a parliamentary researcher reported that her drink had been spiked. The woman alerted bar staff and parliamentary security to her drink being tampered with, according to Politico, which first reported the story.
The incident is alleged to have taken place at about 6.30pm on 7 January, in the first week after parliament returned from recess.
It is likely to renew a debate about the sale of alcohol on the parliamentary estate. A modernisation committee formed by the Labour government and made up of MPs from all major parties is examining proposals to improve standards and working practices in parliament.
In one submission to the committee last year, a group of Labour MPs called for restrictions on the sale of alcohol. The committee has received hundreds of recommendations across a range of areas for reform and is expected to publish this evidence in full this month.
Parliament’s official complaints authority, the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, said the drinking culture in Westminster was a “frequent factor” fuelling inappropriate behaviour.
In its 2023 annual report, the ICGS said a frequent theme in its investigations were parliament’s numerous bars, where alcohol consumption was “leading to intimidating behaviour like shouting and swearing”.
Strangers’ is the most high-profile of parliament’s bars and the one most frequented by MPs. Another bar named the Woolsack, formerly known as the Sports and Social Club, is frequented by parliamentary staff and underwent a rebrand after becoming notorious for a series of brawls and misconduct scandals. There is also a bar in the House of Lords cafeteria and there are several dining rooms that serve alcohol.
The government has vowed to crack down on spiking as part of wider efforts to tackle violence against women and girls, including by making it a specific criminal offence and training staff and police to spot it.
Spiking typically involves putting alcohol or drugs into someone’s drink without their knowledge or permission. It can also involve injecting someone with a drink or drugs, as well as adding it to food, vapes or cigarettes.
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, has described it as “a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims”.
Ministers announced before Christmas that about 10,000 bar staff in England and Wales would be trained to spot and stop spiking.
The FDA union, which represents civil servants and public sector professionals, said earlier this week that the alleged spiking incident at Strangers’ was “deeply concerning” and urged parliamentary authorities to “assess the risks and take immediate action to prevent this happening again”.
Mike Clancy, the general secretary of the trade union Prospect, said: “This is a very concerning alleged incident, especially given the long history of allegations about behaviour in parliament.
“We will be seeking more information about this case and will continue to work to ensure parliamentary staff can feel safe in their workplace.”