Westminster drinking culture means witnesses 'can't remember' bad behavior

The watchdog's report highlights a «drinking culture in Westminster». Photo: Yui Mok/PA

Drinking culture in Westminster means witnessing bad They can't remember what they saw, watchdog says.

Independent Complaints and Complaints System (ICGS), set up in 2018 year after a series of allegations of sexual harassment against members of Parliament, said that alcohol was «a frequent factor in its investigations.

The watchdog said it often investigates complaints about events taking place in parliamentary bars where alcohol consumption leads to «intimidating behavior such as shouting and swearing.»

The ICGS annual report said: «A number of cases included the presence of alcohol and drinking culture in Westminster.

“Alcohol was a common factor in incidents in bars on the Parliamentary estate (leading to intimidating behavior such as shouting and swearing), external events associated with parliamentary business, or where colleagues socialized in bars/pubs following such events.”

“Alcohol affects investigations in other ways, such as affecting the ability of witnesses to recall events when gathering evidence during an investigation.”

Alcohol is served in Parliament, including in the Strangers bar&#39 ; Bar, Woolsack, Lords Bar and Restaurants.

«Erasing Boundaries»

Daniel Greenberg, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, previously said there were «behavioural issues» associated with drinking and that alcohol sales on the estate needed to be «kept in check».

The annual report also said that there is a problem with blurred boundaries between MPs and staff, adding: “On a number of occasions, blurred personal and professional boundaries have led to complaints of inappropriate behaviour.”

“This was most noticeable in complaints against MPs by their staff. The lack of professional boundaries has led to the formation of incorrect assumptions about acceptable behavior.

“Examples include invitations to events whose purpose or relationship to parliamentary work may not be clear, calling/messaging too frequently and at unreasonable times. and overly familiar behavior.

“For example, during an evening work-related event, a supervisor made unwanted physical contact and personal comments about a co-worker's appearance. Even if behavior is unintentional, it does not mean it reduces the potential impact.»

In the section on power imbalances, the document states: «Power differences can make it difficult for people to complain about people responsible for their job and ultimately their employment status.

“In some cases, the imbalance was exacerbated when employees were in their first job or in the very early stages of their careers, with no previous experience in other jobs . In one complaint, a junior employee who was new to the position refrained from filing a complaint until several years later.”