Outrageous Sir ! – Parliaments Bars are Exempt from 10pm Curfew!

Revealed: Parliament’s bars are exempt from the government’s new coronavirus restrictions imposed last week!

Under the new rules, “workplace canteens may remain open where there is no practical alternative for staff at that workplace to obtain food”. As well as being free to remain open beyond 10 pm, the new, stricter rules regarding wearing face coverings and customers checking in at venues will also not apply to parliamentary bars,

However, the regulations do state that “workplace canteens may remain open where there is no practical alternative for staff at that workplace to obtain food”. Staff and customers at bars in the Palace of Westminster will not be required to follow rules on face masks introduced last week by the prime minister.

Visitors will also not have to give their name and contact details when entering a Parliament bar. The report sparked widespread anger on social media, with many people saying it was “one rule for us, one rule for them”. Junior health minister Helen Whately said: “We in Parliament shouldn’t be sitting around late at night drinking – we’ve got a job to do when we’re there.”

A spokesperson for the House of Commons confirmed that the new restrictions on hospitality do not apply to the venues on the parliamentary estate, saying: “As catering outlets providing a workplace service for over 3,100 people working on the Estate, the current regulations on hospitality venues do not apply to Commons facilities.”