New Green MP Hannah Spencer has sparked controversy by criticising Parliament's drinking culture, saying she would have been sacked for boozing on the job as a plumber. But while she is right that the culture is fundamentally weird, changing it requires understanding why MPs drink in the first place.
Westminster's bars and restaurants keep backbenchers fed, watered and where the whips can see them during late-night votes that can stretch past 11pm. The long hours, loneliness, stress and pack bonding under pressure all contribute to a drinking culture that has improved since the 1990s, when two-bottle lunches were common and MPs slept it off in libraries.
Reformers argue that the root cause is the archaic working hours and voting system. Remote electronic voting, which worked during lockdown, should be an option for those who want to go home at night. Working hours and processes need reform so critical decisions aren't taken by exhausted MPs.
Creating more meaningful career paths for backbenchers who will never be in cabinet could also help reduce the feeling of being powerless lobby fodder. Until these structural issues are addressed, the drinking culture will persist.
