MPs 'are only there for the beer'

Watch out when you next meet your MP - he or she could be a trifle unsteady on their feet.

That was the warning today from one of their own number, Tory Sir Teddy Taylor, who alleges that many MPs are sinking in a deepening sea of beer. Sir Teddy, himself a teetotaller, says alcohol consumption is increasing "by leaps and bounds".

The trade paper, The Caterer and Hotel Keeper, asked Sir Teddy to comment on its research which shows beer orders to suppliers to the Palace of Westminster have doubled since October.

Sir Teddy, said: "The Commons chamber remains empty most of the time, while the multitude of drinking dens are crammed full."