Petition
Stop the sale of alcohol on parliament premises
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Ban alcohol sales in Parliament. MPs shouldn't drink on the job when making vital laws for the country. It’s a workplace double standard, and taxpayers shouldn't subsidise cheap, insulated pub prices for politicians while the public struggles with the cost of living.
In almost any other modern profession across the UK, drinking alcohol on the job is a serious disciplinary offense that leads to instant dismissal. Whether you are a nurse, a bank worker, a teacher or a cleaner, being under the influence at work is completely unacceptable. Members of Parliament are public servants who are at their place of work while Parliament is sitting. They should be held to the same standard of professionalism and safety as the rest of the working population.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:
Ban the sale and consumption of alcohol in House of Commons venues
Ban the sale and consumption of alcohol in House of Commons venues
Catering services for the House of Commons are provided by an in-house team who do not provide a subsidised service in the commercial sense of the word. Some venues make a profit, referred to as contribution because it contributes to reducing overall costs. In other venues, the cost of providing the service does exceed the income received in sales due to the irregular hours and unpredictability of parliamentary business. The contribution or cost of each venue is calculated by subtracting the food and operational costs from the catering sales. Rather than a subsidy, the House monitors the contribution or cost of each catering venue, which include cafeterias, dining rooms, restaurants and bars. Prices of food and drink are regularly benchmarked against appropriate external comparators.
You can read more about this here: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/freedom-of-information/information-we-already-publish/house-of-commons-publication-scheme/catering-services/house-of-commons-cost-of-catering/
We can't accept petitions about catering in the House of Lords as that is the responsibility of the House of Lords.
Ban the sale and consumption of alcohol in House of Commons venues
Ban the sale and consumption of alcohol in House of Commons venues
Catering services for the House of Commons are provided by an in-house team who do not provide a subsidised service in the commercial sense of the word. Some venues make a profit, referred to as contribution because it contributes to reducing overall costs. In other venues, the cost of providing the service does exceed the income received in sales due to the irregular hours and unpredictability of parliamentary business. The contribution or cost of each venue is calculated by subtracting the food and operational costs from the catering sales. Rather than a subsidy, the House monitors the contribution or cost of each catering venue, which include cafeterias, dining rooms, restaurants and bars. Prices of food and drink are regularly benchmarked against appropriate external comparators.
You can read more about this here: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/freedom-of-information/information-we-already-publish/house-of-commons-publication-scheme/catering-services/house-of-commons-cost-of-catering/
We can't accept petitions about catering in the House of Lords as that is the responsibility of the House of Lords.
Timeline
| 20 May 2026 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 26 May 2026 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
26 May 2026
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Jul 2026.