22 October 2026

Can you name the MP? Liberal Democrats - South East Play now

SNP accuse defence secretary of ‘smear campaign’ over flight drinking allegations

Georgia Gilholy

The Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is set to complain to the leaders of the Labour party and the SNP after he said three of their respective MPs were “drinking heavily” en route to an official visit to Gibraltar.

The minister claims that Charlotte Nichols, a Labour MP, and the SNP MPs David Linden and Drew Hendry displayed “a lack of respect for the enduring work of our Armed Forces” and risked “undermining respect for Parliament” after drinking heavily on a flight carrying MPs, civil servants and members of the public to Gibraltar on Tuesday.

Mr Linden and Mr Hendry were reportedly “lairy” and “rude”, while it is alleged that Ms Nichols needed a wheelchair to travel from the baggage reclaim to a military minibus.

https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/snp/

The two SNP MPs have accused Wallace of a “bizarre Tory smear campaign” over the allegations.

More from politics.co.uk

Advertisement
by PLMR

Politics.co.uk Newsletters

Stay on top of the stories that matter with expert analysis.

DAILY

Politics@Lunch

WEEKLY

Week in Review

Welcome back

Email
Password
Remember me

Join Politics.co.uk

First Name
Last Name
Email
Password

Sign up to our mailing list