An investigation found traces of cocaine at 11 out of 12 sites tested for cocaine including bathrooms close to the private offices of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel.
Senior MPs are considering introducing sniffer dogs to Parliament in a bid to cut down on drug use in the heart of Westminster after an investigation found traces of cocaine at 11 out of 12 sites tested for the class A drug.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he would notify police after the discovery in toilets in the Palace building itself and the adjoining Portcullis House, where many MPs have their offices.
Tory MP Charles Walker, who chairs the Commons Administration Committee, told the paper: ‘The House of Commons has a long history of using sniffer dogs to detect explosives. It may be that we now need to broaden the range of sniffer dogs . . . to include those which can detect drugs.’
It comes as the Prime Minister unveils a new clampdown on ‘lifestyle’ drug use, threatening to confiscate the passports and driving licenses of middle-class users.
The places tested with drug wipes in the sweep are only accessible to those with a parliamentary pass, or visitors allowed in who have to be accompanied around the building by the person they are meeting.
The Prime Minister today hit out at ‘lifestyle’ use of Class As by people who thought they were committing a ‘victimless crime‘ by only dabbling at weekends.
He said he wanted to bring in measures that ‘interfere with their lives’ as he accused them of being complicit in driving up drug-related crime across the UK.
Launching a 10-year blitz on county lines drugs gangs he said narcotics were causing ‘misery’ and rejected the idea of liberalizing the law.
In a twin-track approach, resources will also be made available to help wean addicts off heroin, crack and other hard drugs.
Speaking to the Sun on Sunday Mr Johnson distinguished between addicts and social users of drugs.
‘I don’t want to stereotype them but I’m talking about lifestyle drugs. These people think it’s a victimless crime,’ he said.
‘It isn’t. The country is littered with victims of what’s happened. We are going to look at new ways of penalising them. Things that will actually interfere with their lives so we will look at taking away passports and driving licences.’
