Starmer finds alleged spiking on parliamentary estate ‘incredibly concerning’

The Prime Minister finds an alleged incident of spiking in a bar on the UK parliamentary estate “incredibly concerning”, Downing Street has said.

Police are investigating after Scotland Yard received reports of an incident on January 7 in the Palace of Westminster.

The woman, a parliamentary researcher, alerted security and staff in Parliament’s Strangers’ Bar to her drink having been tampered with, according to Politico, which first reported the incident.

“These are incredibly concerning reports,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

He said he could not comment on specifics while the police investigation takes place.

“Women have a right to feel safe everywhere… everyone on the parliamentary state should feel safe in their workplace,” he added.

He pointed to the Government’s commitment to crack down on spiking by making it a specific offence – and launching specialist training for up to 10,000 bar staff nationwide.

A UK Parliament spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident which took place on the parliamentary estate in early January, which was reported to parliamentary security and is now being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service.”

The FDA union, which represents civil servants and public sector professionals, has urged parliamentary authorities to “assess the risks and take immediate action to prevent this happening again”.

Parliamentary authorities have said they are treating the matter extremely seriously.

Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect trade union, said: “This is a very concerning alleged incident, especially given the long history of allegations about behaviour in Parliament.

“We will be seeking more information about this case and will continue to work to ensure parliamentary staff can feel safe in their workplace.”