- Chief of staff Sue Gray wants to stop novice MPs falling prey to drinking culture
- Ms Gray – who is a former pub landlady – wants to shut all bars in the Commons
- A report said drinking in Parliament’s bars often led to ‘intimidating behaviour’
Top Labour ‘enforcer’ Sue Gray would try to keep control of hundreds of new MPs in a massive ‘Starmer super-majority’ by shutting every Commons bar, it was claimed last night.
Sources said Sir Keir’s formidable chief of staff wanted to close permanently all of Westminster’s watering holes – including the famous Strangers’ Bar – to stop novice MPs falling prey to the historic drinking culture.
Ironically, Ms Gray – who as a senior civil servant carried out the ‘Partygate’ investigations into alleged Covid rule-breaking while Boris Johnson was in No 10 – is a former pub landlady.
But one source said: ‘Sue’s approach to the dangers of alcohol and the Commons bars is simple. She says, ‘I’d shut all of them.’ ‘
The claim comes amid predictions that the Parliamentary Labour Party could soar from just over 200 MPs now to more than 450 after the election – posing a huge ‘discipline’ problem for the party’s whips.
Top Labour ‘enforcer’ Sue Gray would try to keep control of hundreds of new MPs in a massive ‘Starmer super-majority’ by shutting every Commons bar, sources say
Sources said Sir Keir’s formidable chief of staff wanted to close permanently all of Westminster’s watering holes – including the famous Strangers’ Bar – to stop novice MPs falling prey to the historic drinking culture
Shutting the bars would also strike a chord with the damning verdict of a standards watchdog report last year that said drinking in Parliament’s bars often led to incidents involving ‘intimidating behaviour’.
However, last night, Labour’s Jess Phillips – who is standing again in the Birmingham Yardley constituency where she was first voted in as MP in 2015 – said that although there was a ‘problematic’ drinking culture at Westminster, she did not think ‘banning was the answer’ or that it would reduce the ‘sex pest’ problem.
And she added that Ms Gray would have ‘more chance of sprouting wings’ than getting a complete bar ban introduced.
Other politicians also privately pointed out that although the bars could cause problems, closing them and forcing MPs to drink off the parliamentary estate would actually make the Labour whips’ jobs harder, not easier.
One said: ‘At least with the Strangers’ Bar, it’s a stone’s throw from the Chamber. It’s much easier to keep tabs on people misbehaving there than if the troublemakers have adjourned to a distant pub.’
Of the number of bars and restaurants at the Palace of Westminster, the Strangers’ Bar, which adjoins the Commons Terrace, is the most notorious.
In 2012, police were called there after Labour MP Eric Joyce headbutted a Tory MP and assaulted several other politicians.
Mr Joyce, who had earlier complained loudly that the venue was ‘full of f*****g Tories’, quit the Labour Party after being fined £3,000 for assault and given a three-month pub banning order.
Last year, Labour MP Neil Coyle was suspended from the Commons for making racist comments in Strangers towards a journalist and engaging in ‘foul-mouthed and drunken abuse’ of a Labour aide.
In 2010, Tory MP Mark Reckless admitted having so much to drink on the Commons Terrace that he missed a vote on the Budget.
In October, the annual report of the Commons’ Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) said that alcohol was a ‘frequent factor’ in its investigations.
No plans: Labour has denied Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘enforcer’ wanted to shut all the Commons bars
The ICGS was set up in 2018 in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against MPs.
Labour insiders pointed out last night that while Ms Gray was set to take up a key role at No 10 if Sir Keir Starmer wins the General Election, she would have no jurisdiction over how the Commons was run.
Labour also denied Ms Gray had said she wanted to shut all the Commons bars.
A spokesman added that organising Parliament’s refreshment facilities ‘isn’t a power the Government has anyway’.
