Chancellor John Healey downed a pint of specialty Chancellor's Choice beer in just 12 seconds after delivering his Budget speech on Wednesday, a moment captured on video by Dan Tomlinson, the MP for Chipping Barnet who serves as exchequer secretary and a growth minister.
Tomlinson described how his boss wound down by "seeing off a pint" during a visit to a brewery after presenting the document to MPs yesterday afternoon. Healey joined civil servants at the Rotherham-based Chantry Brewery, which celebrated the Government's move to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues with the special beer.
The 12-Second Pint
In the clip, Healey is seen pulling his own pint before quickly sinking it in just 12 seconds, eliciting cheers from the gathered group. The Yorkshireman Chancellor flicked his red tie over his shoulder while drinking, and after finishing turned the glass upside down over his head in triumph.
Posting the video, Tomlinson wrote: "The boss seeing off a pint of Chancellor's Choice after a long day at the office." The clip drew a mix of reactions after being posted online, with views from nearly 400,000 people.
Historic Budget Day Drinks
Healey's pint is far from the first Budget day tipple enjoyed by a Chancellor, with similar stunts having been pulled off in the past. Chancellors are generally allowed to drink alcohol while delivering speeches, with this being the only time it is allowed to be consumed in the Commons chamber.
Healey's 19th century predecessor William Gladstone famously enjoyed a combination of sherry and beaten egg to soothe his throat during one five-hour address during his tenure. Benjamin Disraeli drank a mix of brandy and water during one of his own.
The last Chancellor to drink during a major fiscal event was Kenneth Clarke, who nursed a glass of scotch during a 1996 appearance in the Commons. John Major was another who enjoyed the rule as Chancellor under Margaret Thatcher, choosing a gin and tonic. Other famous drinks include Nigel Lawson's Ashbourne Water with a mixture of wine and Malvern water, Norman Lamont's Orcadian mineral water and Scotch whisky, and Gordon Brown's non-alcoholic Highland Spring mineral water, which he drank during his first Budget in July 1997.
Falling Short of the Record
While Healey's 12-second stunt was impressive, his pint downing time fell short of the current political and Labour record. That was established by the late John Prescott, the former deputy Prime Minister who famously downed a pint in just five seconds during a televised Labour leadership campaign in 1994.
