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Coronavirus

28th Sep 2020

Parliament U-turns on exempting its own bars from 10pm curfew

Wayne Farry

Proof that this government will do the right thing, providing we find out they’re doing the wrong thing first and shame them about it

Parliament has announced that it has reversed its decision to exempt its own bars from the 10pm curfew currently in place in licensed premises across the United Kingdom.

While all other bars and restaurants in the UK have been forced to close at 10pm since Boris Johnson introduced stricter coronavirus measures late last week, parliamentary bars had been exempt, something revealed by a report by The Times on Monday morning.

That report also revealed that staff and patrons in parliament bars were not obliged to wear masks, as the rest of us plebs are. Nor were they required to sign their details in upon entering bars.

The reason for this, it was explained, was because MPs are our moral bettors and as such can be trusted to behave like the demigods they are, unlike us bottom feeders “workplace canteens may remain open where there is no practical alternative for staff at that workplace to obtain food”.

While alcoholic drinks will not be served after 10pm, food will continue to be served in parliamentary bars “to serve food for those still working”.

But that’s not the point. The point is that there is no longer one rule for MPs and another rule for the rest of us. In this particular instance at least.