George Galloway is not hugely popular among many MPs, and he is unlikely to have endeared himself to them any more with his latest suggestion.

The newly elected Member for Bradford West told The House Magazine that all the pubs and bars in the Houses of Parliament should be closed down.

“I think these bars should be closed,” he said. “No-one else can drink at their work. No-one else is allowed to drink alcohol while they’re working. Why are we? Moreover, at subsidised prices – as was."

"I don’t know what they are now, but when I was in here before they were ‘Life on Mars’ prices – 1970s prices."

He added: "What are our values? I don’t drink for example. Downstairs tonight, in the parliament itself, there will be legislators blind drunk."

The parliamentary bars have had a bad press of late, being the scene of head-butting and "sexist" beers.

The Respect MP made great play of the fact that he does not drink during his election campaign, telling voters "I, George Galloway, do not drink alcohol and never have".

"Ask yourself if the other candidate [Labour's Imran Hussain] in this election can say that truthfully," he added in a campaign leaflet.