The government used 1,433 bottles of wine and spirits from its wine cellar during the Covid pandemic, the Foreign Office has admitted.
The stated purpose of the government wine cellar is to “provide guests of the government, from home and overseas, with wines of appropriate quality at reasonable cost”.
Between 2020 and 2022, 20 bottles of Champagne, 27 bottles of gin, and 1,376 bottles of red and white wine were used. That was despite Covid restrictions limiting in-person contact being in place for much of that time.
The government’s net spend on additions to the wine cellar over this period has also been revealed as more than £100,000, with nearly £27,000 of taxpayers’ money blown. The figures are included in the delayed bi-annual report on the government’s wine cellar for 2020 -2022, published by the Foreign Office on Thursday.
The government has already faced considerable criticism for its consumption of alcohol during the pandemic, due to illegal social gatherings exposed during the partygate scandal. Boris Johnson was forced to resign as prime minister following his role in the scandal and his subsequent denials in parliament.
Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell has said all events during this period were Covid-19 compliant
The newly-released figures revealed that in 2020/21, at the height of the Covid crisis, £14,621 was splashed out on 516 bottles of red Bordeaux wines, costing around £28 each. In 2021/22, a thirst for English and Welsh sparkling wines saw the government spend £12,356 on topping up its cellar with 636 bottles, including 180 magnums, at an average cost of £19. It also bought 18 bottles of gin, and four bottles each of whisky and liqueurs.
The report did show the government’s consumption of wine dropped by some 96% in 2020/21, compared to before the pandemic. It rose the following year, but still remained nearly 61% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell said in a written statement: “All events organised by Government Hospitality during this period were done so in strict accordance with Covid-19 restrictions.”
Labour has critcised the government for the latest figures, as Shadow Attorney General, Emily Thornberry, said:
“For months, we have asked why the government was suppressing the publication of this report, and now we know the answer.
“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.
“They lived the high life at taxpayers’ expense while the rest of the country struggled, and it will never be forgotten.”
