Parliament’s answer to drink spiking allegations? A new, bigger pub

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Parliament’s Strangers’ Bar, a favoured haunt of MPs and parliamentary staff, is to reopen following an allegation of drink spiking in January A senior parliamentary source said: “It’s very narrow, it is very small, it does not serve food. “You can have all the CCTV and security in the world, but if people still don't have trust in our internal procedures to come forward - and if we still have a situation where misuse of House of Commons stationary is often dealt with more harshly than sexual harassment, then it's not really changing anything.” John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It would be beyond parody for the Commons authorities to respond to this shocking alleged incident by building a bigger pub. When it was announced that Strangers’ was reopening, a spokesperson for the House of Commons said: “The safety of everyone on the estate remains a key priority for both Houses. “Following a review of arrangements in Strangers’ Bar, the House of Commons Commission has endorsed a number of changes that aim to enhance existing safety measures and ensure the well-being of all customers who visit the bar.”