HomeNewsWorldwide NewsTory member is arrested at party conference for stealing £150 bottle of Champagne

Tory member is arrested at party conference for stealing £150 bottle of Champagne

08 October 2009

Tory member was arrested after being accused of failing to pay for a £150 bottle of Champagne at the Conservative Party conference.

Philip Whittington, 27, was arrested on suspicion of theft at the Midland Hotel where the Tories have been staying throughout their week in Manchester.

The parliamentary researcher for Tory MP John Baron and for the party's Social Justice Policy Group was held in custody overnight and quizzed by officers.

He was eventually released at 6am the following morning after insisting there had been a mix-up and he was happy to pay up.

The arrest is an embarrassment for the Tories, who had been ordered to observe a Champagne ban to avoid offending voters with shows of extravagance.

Mr Whittington, from London, has now been banned from going to any more conference events and could face disciplinary action by the party.

He was arrested at the four-star hotel on Monday night while he was at a fringe meeting and taken to a police station in nearby Salford.

Staff at the hotel called police when they allegedly saw a man attempt to take a bottle of champagne from a fridge.

They claimed he had already taken and consumed one bottle, which was priced at £150.

It is understood that Mr Whittington said the fridge was near a free bar area so he had assumed he could take it.

During his interview with police, he insisted he would reimburse the hotel for the alcohol.

A police source said: 'He was clocked by hotel staff taking another bottle and they called the police. He was adamant that he was going to pay for it and there was no evidence that he wasn't going to pay. He had apparently drunk one bottle and was about to drink another.'

A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'We have banned the individual from attending any further conference events and are considering what further action may need to be taken.'

The police said in a statement: 'A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft following an incident at a city centre hotel. The man was questioned by officers and it was decided that no further action should be taken.'

Mr Whittington is believed to be a member of the Poplar and Limehouse branch of the Conservative Party.

The Midland Hotel declined to comment on the arrest incident.

The arrest is the latest embarrassment for the Tories involving Champagne during this year's conference.

Party chairman Eric Pickles had instigated a Champagne ban and ordered members to be 'humble' because of the recession.

But a string of Tory MPs and party workers openly flouted the ban by downing bottles of Champagne in the conference bars.

Even David Cameron was caught out when he was photographed with a glass of Champagne at a party at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel.

Mr Pickles had said it was his duty to appear 'humble' during the recession when he announced the bubbly ban.

But a string of Tory MPs and party workers have openly flouted the ban by downing bottles of bubbly in the conference bars.

Source: Mail Online