Britain | Bagehot

Last orders for political drinking

Waning interest in booze is transforming British politics

FOR political journalists of a certain age it is impossible to read about the imminent closure of the Gay Hussar, due on June 21st, without a flood of nostalgia. The restaurant is a purveyor of memories as much as Hungarian food. The walls are lined with cartoons of leading politicians and journalists. A couple of images on the stairwell capture their subjects perfectly: a cartoon of Michael Foot beaming at his 90th birthday party and a photograph of Gordon Brown storming out after a dinner with editors.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Last orders”

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From the June 2nd 2018 edition

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