Politicians who break rules may soon be banned from Parliament bars

Shamed MPs face the ultimate sanction… a bar from the bar! Politicians who break rules may soon be banned from Parliament drinking dens

  • Westminster Standards Committee proposing a  shake-up to current system
  • MPs who break Commons rules could be banned from Parliament’s bars  
  • Right for MPs to issue public corrections, where incorrect information is made public, also recommended

MPs who break Commons rules may soon get more than a slap on the wrist – they could be banned from Parliament’s bars.

The Westminster Standards Committee is proposing a major shake-up to the current system of sanctions for those who breach the members’ code of conduct.

One proposal is that they could be barred from services on the parliamentary estate – including the Palace of Westminster’s subsidised bars and restaurants.

The Westminster Standards Committee is proposing a major shake-up to the current system of sanctions which could see MPs who break Commons rules banned from Parliament’s bars.(Stock image)

Labour MP Chris Bryant, chairman of the standards committee, said: ‘For too long, the only sanctions available against MPs have been a slap on the wrist or suspension from the House.

‘The reality is that breaches of conduct are rarely black and white, and so the sanctions in such cases shouldn’t be either. The proposals we set out will give teeth to the standards system.’

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘It seems sensible that preventing a member from using specific services of the House, such as the bars or restaurants on the parliamentary estate or visiting the Table Office [through which motions and questions must be put] in person, should be a sanction available.’

A report by the committee shows that it revised earlier plans to impose training as a sanction for rule-breaking MPs after Mr Rees-Mogg intervened.

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said it ‘seems sensible’ that preventing a member from using specific services of the House should be a sanction available

Errant MPs would have been forced to attend a course under the original proposal.

Instead they will be able to choose whether to undergo any training recommended to them.

A right for MPs to issue public corrections, where incorrect information is made public, is also recommended by the committee.

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