British Lawmakers Call for Crack Down on 'Cocaine Culture' as Drug Is Detected Throughout Halls of Parliament

A top British lawmaker is asking police to investigate and crack down on the reported "rife" use of cocaine and other illegal drugs within London's Palace of Westminster, where members of the U.K.'s Parliament meet and conduct official business.

Sir Lindsey Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, called the accounts in a Sunday Times report of illicit drug use among members of Parliament and staff "deeply concerning."

"I will be raising them as a priority with the Metropolitan Police next week," Hoyle said in a statement to Sky News. "I expect to see full and effective enforcement of the law."

Traces of cocaine were recently detected in 11 of 12 locations officials tested using wipes that turn from white to blue if the drug is present on a surface, according to the Sunday Times report.

The residue was discovered at sites near the private offices of lawmakers, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel, as well as in rooms used by the opposition Labour Party, disabled bathrooms for men and women, a dining room in the House of Lords and in an onsite pub called the Strangers' Bar.

Though the Sunday Times claims 9,000 people hold passes that allow entry at Westminster without security checks, only a third — approximately 3,000 — have regularly entered the premises with a pass since pandemic lockdowns began.

Now, police dogs trained to sniff out drugs may be roaming the halls of Westminster soon.

"The House of Commons has a long history of using sniffer dogs to detect explosives," Conservative MP Charles Walker told the Sunday Times. "It may be that we now need to broaden the range of sniffer dogs … to include those which can detect drugs."

The evidence of drug use at Parliament comes amid a new, 10-year comprehensive anti-drug strategy Johnson is promoting.

"There will be no implicit tolerance of so-called recreational drug users," Johnson, who recently wore a police uniform while observing a drug raid in Liverpool, said while introducing the plan. "We cannot allow the impression to be given that occasional drug use is acceptable. It isn't. So there will be new penalties for drug users. Because drugs cause crime and crime ruins innocent lives."

Members of Parliament — or MPs — and others who work inside the Palace of Westminster — a sprawling facility with plenty of small rooms, winding hallways and secluded corners — described the drug use among colleagues, while speaking anonymously to the Sunday Times.

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"There is a cocaine culture in Parliament," one source says in the report. "Some people are at it all the time and are totally blasé. Others dabble. Some are household names, some are ambitious young MPs and officials, but all of them risk throwing away their careers. They think they are untouchable, protected by their friends in the bubble. It's shocking but also sad. Lots of them need help."

"I have seen an MP openly snorting cocaine at a party," said another.

"MPs tend to be more careful than staff and will go back to their office to do it rather than doing it in any of the public spaces," another source said, adding that another staffer "walked in on their MP doing a late-night line at their desk."

London's Metropolitan Police released figures cited by the Sunday Times which show 17 drug crimes were committed in or near parliamentary buildings in the last year.

"Parliament is a microcosm of the country so of course drugs will be a problem, but the working culture of late nights and short deadlines can create a pressure that feels unmanageable," Jenny Symmons, who heads a branch of the GMB Union for parliament staff, said in the report. "Support must be available for those who have turned to drugs and we must continue to improve working conditions for staff."

In his statement, Speaker Hoyle said there are resources for anyone looking for help with an addiction. "While Parliament provides extensive support services for any staff or members who may need help with drug misuse — and I would encourage anyone struggling with such issues to take up such help — for those who choose to flout the law and bring the institution into disrepute the sanctions are serious," he said.

Sir Ed Davey who leads the Liberal Democrats in Parliament also called for accountability. "When thousands of young people are in prison for their drug use, it is outrageous that people are doing cocaine in parliament with impunity," he told the Sunday Times. "Government ministers cannot talk tough about illegal drugs while turning a blind eye to their mates."