After a parliamentary scientist claimed that her drink had been spiked in a house with commons bar, questions were raised as to whether the historic water hole should be closed too well.
But now the Commons authorities are considering a different approach – building a new, larger pub inside parliament.
The proposal has been described as “Beyond Parody”, while a Labor MP has said the proposal shows that the focus “is in the wrong place” when it comes to tackling this type of event.
The strangers bar in the House of Commons were closed earlier this year after it emerged that police investigated reports that a woman’s drink was manipulated.
It opened again on Monday after MPs accepted new measures, including CCTV in the popular hangout, which is small and narrow and often filled with MPs, researchers and journalists.
But Senior Commons sources will eventually want to build a new bar to avoid some of the problems with the current place, The independent can reveal.
On the wish list is a larger space to avoid overfilling. They also want a pub with a circular bar in the middle, allowing better views and for it to serve food.
A senior parliamentary source said: “It is very narrow, it is very small, it does not serve food. It has many problems. It would be better to have a larger bar and for it to serve food ”.
But Labor MP Charlotte Nichols said: “I think the focus generally feels like it’s in the wrong place.
“You may have all CCTV and security in the world, but if people still don’t trust our internal procedures to arrive – and if we still have a situation where abuse of House of Commons stationary is being treated more hard than sexual harassment changes It’s not really anything. ”
John O’Connell, CEO of the Taxpayer’s Alliance, said: “It would be beyond the parody of the ordinary authorities to respond to this shockingly alleged incident by building a larger pub.
“The much -needed renovations and restoration of the parliamentary property have not even begun yet. Yet, bureaucratic busy images are over a larger place for MPs to continue to defeat subsidized liquor, while Britain’s pressing problems remain unresolved by our evil political class.
“Commons should put this idea in Shredder and focus on reducing the cost of taxpayers for the significant subsidies assigned to bars and restaurants at the estate.”
Strangers’ will now provide coverage for glasses available on request and there will be an increased presence of security staff. Information on “Drink Safety” is also displayed.
When it was announced that Strangers’ reopened, a spokesman for House of Commons said: “The security of everyone at the estate remains a key priority for both houses.
“After a review of events in Strangers’ Bar, the House of Commons Commission has approved a number of changes aimed at improving existing safety measures and ensuring the well -being of all customers visiting the bar.”
A parliamentary spokesman said there were currently no “no plans to build new bars in parliament”.