Parliament forced to reveal its booze bill has TRIPLED in two years to nearly £2 million

Last Updated: February 7, 2017By

An FOI request revealed the astonishing amount spent in the House of Commons and Palace of Westminster.

Is anybody surprised?

If you were working in the worst UK Parliament ever, wouldn’t you want to drown your sorrows?

Parliament’s bar bill last year was £1.8million and has tripled in two years.

Figures for 2015/16 show 42,711 bottles of fine wine and champers – including 3,000 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc,100 bottles of fizz and 300 bottles of port – were sold at £1.7million.

By comparison, the champagne and wine bill in 2013/14 came to £601,895. The cost doubled to £1,183, 820 in 2014/15 – then tripled to £1,786, 2014 for 2015/16.

A FOI request revealed ‘Champagne Charlie’ MPs, peers, their staff and guests also spent £53,061 on beer, lager and cider last year.

And there was an order, order, order for £69,333 of spirits in House of Commons bars and restaurants.

Source: Parliament’s booze bill has TRIPLED in two years – to £1.8MILLION

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8 Comments

  1. Dan February 8, 2017 at 12:24 am - Reply

    Does this represent an increase in consumption, or a shift to more expensive tastes?

    Either way, it comes to only about £7.50 each per day, which doesn’t seem quite so bad…

    • Mike Sivier February 8, 2017 at 1:00 am - Reply

      They don’t all drink in Parliament’s bars.

  2. Lindsey Todd February 8, 2017 at 6:56 am - Reply

    £7.50 a day on alcohol is wrong, when in essence we are paying for it through their expenses. Plus it’s already discounted for them. And at £7.50 a day that works out at £52.50 per week, £2.730 a year heavily discounted alcohol. Not every member uses the bar so the individual bar tab will be significantly higher. Cannot think of many other jobs where you can drink while on duty at subsidised prices. Wrong on so many levels.

    • Private Eye February 8, 2017 at 1:41 pm - Reply

      I agree. I can’t think of working in education and being allowed a subsidised bar. If fact, I’d be dismissed if I was drinking n school premises.

  3. casalealex February 8, 2017 at 9:15 am - Reply

    A parliament of inebriates?

  4. Barry Davies February 8, 2017 at 10:31 am - Reply

    At London booze prices that isn’t that bad, it would most likely cost more if they were claiming back the bar bills in the pubs in London.

    • Mike Sivier February 8, 2017 at 10:48 am - Reply

      True, but then aren’t the bars in Parliament subsidised by us?

  5. Toni Ward February 9, 2017 at 3:01 am - Reply

    Why are the British taxpayers even footing the bill for alcohol for them? They earn enough already without being able to claim for food and drinks as well. Make them pay for their own damn drinks, Better yet do like 90+% of employers out there and sack them if they drink during working hours!

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