New research finds MPs and staff report being offered wine at breakfast meetings and struggling to find a soft drink at some events, as one in ten say they’ve been harmed by a colleague’s drinking – prompting calls for a formal parliamentary policy on alcohol.
A new study published by the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) finds that alcohol is woven into the working life of Parliament in ways that would be highly unusual in most other UK workplaces – raising real questions for the wellbeing, inclusion and safety of MPs and staff. The report, Under the influence? Perspectives of alcohol in the parliamentary workplace among UK MPs and staff, is the first study to systematically survey MPs and parliamentary staff about their experiences of alcohol at work. It combines a survey of 191 MPs and staff with 22 in-depth interviews conducted over the course of a year.
The findings suggest that alcohol’s prolific availability carries real costs – from harassment and exclusion to hungover colleagues and confusion over how to raise concerns. As one MP interviewed for the report put it: “If I wouldn’t operate heavy machinery or drive a car, why should I legislate the laws of the land?”
Dr Beccy Cooper, MP for Worthing West, who wrote the report foreword, said:
This report is a wake-up call, but also an opportunity. Westminster is changing for the better, and this is our chance to make sure our own workplace lives up to the standards we ask of everyone else. A modern Parliament should be one that supports the health and wellbeing of everyone who works here.
A workplace unlike any other
Alcohol was reported to be far more available in Westminster than in constituency offices or comparable professional settings:
- 42% of MPs and 29% of Westminster-based staff said they were offered alcohol at a work meeting or event on a weekly basis – compared with just 1% of constituency staff.
- Almost six in ten respondents said alcohol was more available in Westminster than in other workplaces they had experienced.
- Interviewees described being handed wine at breakfast events and, at times, struggling to find a soft drink without leaving the room. One staff member said: “No other workplace I’ve had produces its own wine.”
Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Wyre, said:
We wouldn’t accept a surgeon operating after a drink, or a driver getting behind the wheel – so why should we accept legislators voting on the laws of the land after one? If we’re serious about being a professional workplace, we have to ask hard questions about practices like late-night votes that sit alongside on-tap bars.
The impact on staff wellbeing
The report frames alcohol in Parliament as first and foremost a workplace health and wellbeing issue, rather than simply a matter of tradition. Participants described real, measurable effects on colleagues, productivity and support:
- Almost one in ten respondents (8%) said they had experienced a negative consequence at work in the past six months because of someone else’s drinking – rising to 13% among Westminster-based staff.
- The most common harms reported were unwanted sexual attention, harassment, insults or humiliation, and feeling threatened.
- 17% said their work had been negatively affected by a colleague being hungover or under the influence.
- 70% either did not know, or were unsure, how to report concerns about a colleague’s drinking.
MPs and parliamentary staff using alcohol as a way of coping with stress and loneliness was highlighted as a concern for health and wellbeing. Interviewees also raised concerns about the effect of alcohol-centred networking on younger staff and those earlier in their careers – particularly women – who described feeling pressure to drink to fit in, in social settings where power imbalances can leave junior colleagues exposed.
Alcohol and the culture of Westminster
Some participants pointed to potential social and professional benefits of a drink after work – describing how friendships and access to colleagues and ministers are often built over informal, relaxed conversation. But the report suggests this same culture can make it harder to draw a clear line between professional networking and environments where drinking is effectively expected, and leads to MPs and staff feeling like they have to drink in order to progress.
Poppy Hull, lead author of the report, said:
This research suggests that alcohol is far more woven into Westminster working life than would be considered normal in most workplaces. While many participants described some social and networking benefits, they also reported harms ranging from inappropriate behaviour and exclusion to impacts on wellbeing, productivity and workplace culture. A formal workplace policy on alcohol could address the important issues this report raises, providing safeguards for all those who work in Parliament and bringing it in line with other professions.
What the report calls for
The report does not call for alcohol to be banned from the parliamentary estate. Instead, it recommends a formal parliamentary workplace policy on alcohol, including:
- Limiting the routine free provision of alcohol during the working day, with free alcohol restricted to evening events.
- Making alcohol-free options and spaces the default at daytime events and venues.
- Clearer, better-publicised, confidential support for people seeking advice or experiencing alcohol problems – including support offered at times MPs and staff will likely be available.
- Addressing the underlying drivers of drinking in Parliament – long hours, loneliness and stress – through bodies such as the Commons Modernisation Committee.
Dr Katherine Severi, Chief Executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said:
Parliament has modernised in many ways over recent years, but our findings suggest there is still work to do to ensure it is a healthy, safe and inclusive place to work. MPs and staff interviewed for this study made constructive, common-sense recommendations, such as limiting the provision of free alcohol to evening events and improving support and signposting for people experiencing alcohol problems while working in Parliament.
This is also a policy issue. If alcohol remains unusually central to the working culture of Parliament, there is a risk that the scale of alcohol harm across the UK is not seen as clearly as it should be. A healthier parliamentary workplace would support the people who work there and help create the conditions for more serious, evidence-based action on alcohol harm.