Stressful days on Parliament’s front line

THE HOUSES of Parliament are now notorious as a mouse-ridden fire hazard where gargoyles crumble and more than £80million had to be spent repairing a giant clock.

- David Williamson

But each new sleaze scandal is a reminder that it is not just the building that is falling apart. MPs have the potential to self-immolate.

Men and women pursue the dream of winning a seat on the green benches with the same tenacity with which a tennis player chases the glory of centre court at Wimbledon. But once inside Westminster’s hallowed halls the ambitions of talented individuals are derailed by personal disasters.

Chris Pincher, pictured, who quit as deputy chief whip last week and has been accused of groping two men, started his resignation letter to the PM with the words: “Last night I drank far too much.”

Tales of inebriation in and around Westminster are legion.

It is very easy for a newly arrived MP to start drinking more than he or she would in normal life. Lobbyists and journalists want to take them out for a pint or lunch; they are deluged with invitations to receptions, and within Parliament there are bars where MPs and staff congregate to let off steam.

Just as City workers pile into pubs at the end of a stress-packed day to drink and gossip, parliamentarians relish the chance to unwind with colleagues they like and (somewhat) trust.