The Speaker of the British House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, says he might call in the police to investigate allegations of widespread drug use in the Palace of Westminster, the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Sir Lindsay described the allegations as “deeply disturbing”.
Warning those bringing in cocaine and other illegal substances into parliament, he said he was taking the matter as a priority and wanted to see “full and effective enforcement of the law” with serious sanctions for those flouting the rules.
Sunday Times had reported that an investigation found traces of cocaine were detected in a number of places accessible only to people with parliamentary passes.
According to the report, the investigation found evidence of cocaine in 11 out of 12 locations tested in the building.
This comes amid a plan by the Office of the Prime Minister to tackle illegal drug-related crime with stiffer sanctions, including removing passports and driving licences from offenders.
The 10-year plan is said to also include travel bans, harsher sentences for drug dealers and measures to break up gangs helping to distribute drugs.
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