Scotland Yard will investigate reports of drugs being used in the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament, just as Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government on Monday set out a 10-year strategy to tackle drug abuse and drug-related crime. House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said he was contacting police after the Sunday Times reported that traces of cocaine had been found at numerous sites in Parliament, including a washroom near Johnson’s parliamentary office. The newspaper said drug detection wipes found traces of cocaine in 11 locations that are only accessible by accredited parliamentary lawmakers, staff and journalists.
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“The accounts of drug misuse in Parliament given to the Sunday Times are deeply concerning — and I will be raising them as a priority with the Metropolitan Police this week,” Hoyle said in a statement. “I expect to see full and effective enforcement of the law.”
Johnson’s spokesman, Max Blain, said Monday that the reports “are concerning.” Policing minister Kit Malthouse said reports of drug use in Parliament weren’t surprising.
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“There are obviously several thousand people who work on the estate and I would be surprised if there weren’t some lifestyle users of drugs amongst them,” he told Sky News.
The allegations came just as Johnson on Monday announced a 300-million pounds gangs crackdown that will feature “largest ever investment in treatment” and other measures such as using dealers’ seized phones to message clients and discourage drug use.
Speaking on a visit to Merseyside Police headquarters, Johnson told reporters: “Overwhelmingly, the problem is caused by 300,000 people whose lives are simply chaotic, who are torn apart by their own addiction.
“You’ve got to help them, you’ve got to do treatment. But you’ve also got to come down hard on the county lines gangs.”
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Johnson said he wanted to break the cycle of arresting and imprisoning the same drug users “time and time again”.
He said that the strategy would also “come down tougher” on so-called lifestyle drug users.
The UK Home Office said crimes associated with drugs cost society nearly 20 billion pounds a year in England alone.