MPs' bar to reopen with CCTV after alleged spiking

A popular bar in Parliament is to reopen this month with CCTV installed, after it was closed following an allegation of drink spiking.

Strangers' Bar was shut last month after a woman told staff she believed her drink had been tampered with on 7 January.

The Metropolitan Police force is investigating the incident and no arrests have been made.

Parliamentary authorities have completed a review of security at the bar, which is used by MPs, peers, journalists and parliamentary staff.

The House of Commons Commission said it had "endorsed a number of changes that aim to enhance existing safety measures and ensure the wellbeing of all customers who visit the bar".

The installation of CCTV in the bar, increasing the number of security guards, and giving training to bar staff are among the changes being introduced when the venue reopens on 24 February.

Information on "drink safety" and links to schemes including "Ask for Angela" - which helps customers who are feeling unsafe to discretely ask staff for help - will also be displayed in the bar.

Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union, which represents some parliamentary staff, said the changes "go some way to addressing concerns".

He said: "In particular, the introduction of CCTV is something Prospect has called for as an important security measure, and one which is present in virtually every other licensed premises in the country.

"It is telling, however, that these changes are necessary, and indicative that the overall culture at Westminster still has to change."

Last year, a group of Labour backbench MPs submitted plans to curb sales of alcohol in Parliament during office hours to a committee looking at modernisation of Parliament.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned spiking as "a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims".

Parliament's official complaints authority, the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), has criticised Westminster's heavy drinking culture as a "frequent factor" in complaints and breaches of the code of conduct.