Pandemic Pours: UK Government’s Lavish Wine Cellar Expenditure Amid
Originally scheduled for publication last year, the official statistics indicated that more than 1,400 bottles of wine and spirits were drank during the pandemic and lockdowns.
The figure is much lower than the prior pre-pandemic estimate of 3,000 to 5,000 bottles of wine and spirits consumed by the government for domestic and international visitors.
Although just 130 bottles were consumed between March 2020 and March 2021, the figure increased significantly the following year, as lockdowns and international travel restrictions were implemented, with over 1,300 bottles consumed in the year to March 2022.
The government cellar was also stocked with £14,621 worth of 516 bottles of red Bordeaux, which cost around £28 per bottle, and £12,356 worth of English and Welsh sparkling wine, with 636 bottles and 180 magnums purchased for an average of around £19. In 2021, 18 bottles of gin were purchased, along with four bottles of whiskey and liqueurs.
Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell defended consumption under the lockdowns and restrictions, saying in a written statement: “All events organised by government hospitality during this period were done so in strict accordance with Covid-19 restrictions.”
However, the Labour opposition slammed the move, with shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry stating: “While the rest of the country was facing Covid restrictions and a cost of living crisis, the government was getting through 1,433 bottles from its wine cellar, and replenishing the stocks with a net spend of more than £100,000 over the three years from 2019-22.”
“These guys enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle funded by taxpayers, while the rest of the nation faced difficulties, and this will always be remembered.”
The news comes after Conservative MP Sir Charles Walker told the House of Commons that consumers should begin purchasing a few bottles of Australian wine, and that parliament’s bars should begin stocking them, in solidarity with the state against China’s current tariffs, which are still in place—though they are being reviewed by Beijing.
