Coincidence?

 Beer Talking

26 February: Trade body the British Beer and Pub Association - which has been urging the government to raise the alcohol-by-volume threshold for "alcohol-free" beer from 0.05 to 0.5 percent - forks out £450 for Labour MP Jacob Collier to attend the British Kebab Awards.

4 March: Jacob Collier asks in the Commons whether the chancellor will "consider raising the alcohol-free threshold to 0.5 percent alcohol by volume, in line with international markets, to improve consumer choice."

Gifts
William Davis (1812-1873)
Photo Credit: Walker Art Gallery [CC BY-NC]

Lucky Gamble

4 March: Tory Baroness (Anne) McIntosh submits two written parliamentary questions on gambling, one asking how much tax had been raised from gambling over the past three years, the other what steps the government is proposing to tackle black market gambling - the threat of which is being used by the industry to argue for limiting reforms.

12 March: Baroness McIntosh receives a fancy freebie to attend the Cheltenham Festival as a guest of the Jockey Club and Sky Bet.

Birt Speaks

16 March: Former BBC director-general Lord (John) Birt is gifted a ticket to the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium from the English Football League (EFL) which comprises the Championship, League One and League Two. The EFL has expressed concerns over the process for determining funding between it and the Premier League under the new football governance bill.

17 March: Lord Birt speaks in favour of several amendments he has tabled to the football governance bill, dealing with the process for determining funding between the Premier League and EFL and arguing that the system set out in the bill is "unfit for purpose".

(Private Eye, No 1646, 2025)

 Members of Parliament receiving gifts from various lobbying groups has been going on for decades and it is one of those things that really annoys ordinary members of the British public. If you are a member of any public sector organisations, for example, the civil service or education, there are incredibly strict rules concerning the reception of gifts from members of the public. Why?  To ensure that no favour will be granted to anyone just because the public servant has been the recipient of a gift. 

This present system whereby MPs receive such gifts erodes public trust.