Drew Hendry and David Linden of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Charlotte Nichols of the Labor Party were part of a group of 15 MPs who took part in the trip to Gibraltar. It was organized as part of a travel program for Members of Parliament to British military bases, where they could “make a more informed and useful contribution to defense debates”.
Newspapers, citing eyewitnesses, reported that the three MPs were drunk after the plane landed in Gibraltar, and one witness said they had already drunk before leaving Heathrow Airport.
In addition, Hendry and Linden reportedly fought on landing when asked about evidence of vaccination against Covid-19. In turn, the BBC reported that the two military educators who picked up MPs from the airport were so concerned about the condition of the three that they reported the incident to the Ministry of Defense in London.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said such behavior puts the military in a difficult position and risks undermining respect for Parliament. However, Hendry and Linden denied the events reported by the press, and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said it was a “shameful attempt” to deflect attention from the debate over many Conservative MPs getting paid jobs. On the other hand, the Labor Party has not yet responded to these allegations.
The situation becomes increasingly embarrassing as the case coincides with the commemoration of the end of World War I on Thursday and Memorial Sunday, and on both days in Great Britain the soldiers who died in both World Wars and subsequent conflicts are honored.
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