THIRSTY MPs face a six-year drinking ban after being told they must move into an office block run under Islamic laws while their Commons gets a facelift.
A report recommends they move into a nearby office block to speed up and cut the cost of the refurb which runs into billions of pounds.
Repairs are needed to the Palace of Westminster to fix leaking roofs, crumbling stonework, faulty cabling and straighten the Big Ben clock tower which is tilting by 8.7 inches.
If they stay put while work is done in stages, it would take 32 years and cost of £5.7billion.
Moving out in stages while sections are fixed would take 11 years and cost £4.4billion.
Related stories
GRAVY TRAIN 
Taxpayer spends MILLIONS on subsidising lavish MPs' food and drink
MPs accuse David Cameron of helping big firms such as Google to avoid paying their tax bills
French PM vows to shut down mosques to wipe out 'poison' of Islamic extremism
Horrifying moment unmarried Indonesian woman is flogged for ‘violating Sharia law’
Moving out completely will half the time and cut the bill to between £3.5billion and £3.9billion, a parliamentary committee found.
But their temporary home at Richmond House is one of three Whitehall buildings that were transferred to the £200million Islamic bond scheme, which switched their ownership from British taxpayers to wealthy Middle Eastern businessmen and banks.
That means no drinking on the premises.
Peers will not have the same problem as they will go to the QEII Centre at the other end of Parliament Square.
The committee’s recommendations will be voted on by MPs when they return after the summer recess.
The Palace of Westminster has dozens of bars and restaurants, where MPs, peers, staff and other passholders can enjoy pints for as little as £2.90.
This is 70p cheaper than the average price of a pint in London thanks to taxpayer subsidies worth £4million a year.
Source: Read Full Article
