Away from the glare of TV cameras and the prying gaze of journalists, politicians can truly relax in the many private members' clubs that London has to offer. Some clubs are political, like the Tory Carlton and the National Liberal Club, others not: but all draw politicians with the promise of privacy, grandiloquence and the opportunity to network with rich and powerful people. In recent years, the antics at London's clubs have made headlines and even brought down governments (the Chris Pincher affair toppled Boris Johnson's teetering premiership in July 2022). So who frequents which clubs, and what does each say about its members?
Pratt’s
Very old and very aristocratic, Pratt’s is often referred to as Britain’s poshest members’ club. Though it has no explicit political affiliation, the club’s membership has a Tory bent. Prominent members include foreign secretary and former Conservative prime minister Lord Cameron, former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major, former Conservative deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine and former Conservative party leader Lord Howard. The place is old-fashioned. It doesn’t have a website, women were admitted as members for the first time last year and all the male staff are referred to as “George” (female staff are called “Georgina”).
5 Hertford Street
Owned by Tory donor Robin Birley, 5 Hertford Street in Mayfair has been a hub of Tory intrigue for the past decade. Brexit was half-conceived in its chintzy boudoirs and it was referred to as "Downing Street's smoking room" during the premiership of Boris Johnson. Former cabinet minister Nadine Dorries wrote much of The Plot, her book which tells of a conspiracy to bring down Johnson, at the club. She also held the book launch there last year. Johnson made a speech. There are few Tory grandees who haven’t frequented 5HS: prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata have been spotted there, Lord Goldsmith bases his social life around it, and when she was foreign secretary, Liz Truss hired the club for taxpayer-funded lunches with visiting American dignitaries. Despite the predominance of uncool Tory politicians, A-listers and royals also enjoy carousing at 5HS. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first date at the club.
White’s
The oldest gentlemen’s club in London, White’s is also probably the most exclusive. King Charles is a member and held his stag night there before his marriage to Diana Spencer in 1981. David Cameron was formerly a member, but shrewdly resigned in 2008 over its strict men-only policy. The only woman to have been welcomed into White’s is Queen Elizabeth II, who visited in 1991 and 2016. Currently active politicians known to be members include Kwasi Kwarteng, the former chancellor.
East India Club
Most private members’ clubs seem a little anachronistic in the 21st century, what with their strict dress codes and gender rules. But the East India Club on St James’s Square takes things to another level. Its name is proudly taken from the now defunct East India Company which pioneered the Atlantic slave trade and initiated two centuries of British colonial rule in India. The club was originally for company officers when they were back in London, but the current club is a result of a merger between the old club and the Public School’s Club. The most prominent EIC member is probably Nigel Farage, former UKIP and Brexit party leader. If you do visit the East India, be prepared for military dress uniforms, imperial nostalgia and lethally strong G&Ts in the downstairs “American Bar”, which is modelled on a traditional timbered English pub. Women are not permitted as members.
Royal Automobile Club
It may be the largest club in London, with a huge building on Pall Mall, but the Royal Automobile Club doesn’t have an amazing political pedigree. Among it’s prominent members from the green benches, we can count Chris Grayling, the former transport and justice secretary whose departure from front line politics has not been much lamented.
Home House
In contrast with the grand old clubs of Pall Mall and St James’s, Soho offers a range of more relaxed hangouts hidden in Georgian townhouses. Politically, these places – Groucho, Soho House, House of St Barnabas – feel distinctly New Labour. The same can be said of Home House, the Soho club where Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is a member. Club membership isn’t the kind of thing notionally egalitarian Labour politicians like to brag about, but even champions of the people can enjoy the high life.
National Liberal Club
The National Liberal club in Westminster self-identifies as “London’s most inclusive club”, and like the Natural History Museum in appearance, “only grander”. Opened in the 19th Century as an oasis for Liberal statesmen, the club became the first in London to admit women as members in the 1960s. Early patrons included authors George Bernard Shaw, G.K. Chesterton and H.G Wells, while former Liberal PM David Lloyd George lived there. It’s still a Lib Dem watering hole, and leader of the party Sir Ed Davey has a lifelong membership.
The Carlton
The last great bastion of Tory club hangouts, The Carlton in St James’s is where you’ll find all the true blues rubbing shoulders. Ex Tory whip Chris Pincher was famously chucked out in 2022 after drunken behaviour which ended with him losing his seat and bringing down Boris Johnson's government. Plenty of Tory MPs have swerved the £1,700 a year fee and accepted free membership to the club, including Liz Truss, Lee Anderson, and Chief Whip Simon Hart.
The Athenaeum
Find Theresa May and Rory Stewart propping up the bar at The Athenaeum, the Pall Mall club aimed at intellectuals in the Arts and Sciences. Noel Coward, Charles Darwin, and Henry James are among the notable alumni. The club recently got caught in the crossfires of the Culture Wars after the old guard staged an attempted coup against the “excessively woke” chairwoman, Dame Ann Limb. “The place is becoming a hive of clamorous priggery,' wrote historian Richard Davenport-Hines after he publicly resigned his membership in protest. Other longtime members were rankled by a relaxation of the dress code, permitting “soft shoes in muted shades not designed for sports”. The horror. In fairness, it has been more enlightened than other older clubs, admitting women members as far back as 2002.
The Garrick
One of London’s oldest clubs, The Garrick occupies a hulking Italianate building in Covent Garden and has long been a watering hole for thesps and literati like Kingsley Amis, Stephen Fry, Laurence Olivier and Charles Dickens. Jazz and cigars enthusiast and former Tory MP Ken Clarke can often be seen there, enjoying a long lunch or a pint of real ale.
The Beefsteak
Rumour has it that when Michael Gove’s application to the Beefsteak was approved, Stanley Johnson resigned his membership in protest. Boris’s father had already attempted to quash Gove’s application after his Judas-like betrayal of BoJo in the 2016 leadership contest. One of the most secretive and exclusive institutions, the Beefsteak is found in a discreet Victorian house off Leicester Square. It’s proudly men-only and waiters are all referred to as "Charles". Who’s Who has MP-turned-podcaster Rory Stewart, who once said he prefers going to Pret over the pub, listed as a member.
Mark’s
Mark Birley set up his eponymous club in the 70s as an antidote to fusty St James’s gentlemen’s clubs. Now it is owned by Richard Caring, Mayfair clubland rival of Mark’s son Robin Birley, who owns 5 Hertford Street. David Cameron accepted an honorary membership to the club in 2015, saving him £2,000 a year, and celebrated his election win there. Edward Enninful and Boris Johnson have also both partied at Mark’s.
Buck’s
Perhaps the most famous thing to come out of this club is Buck’s Fizz, which was invented by the barman here in the 1920s. Buck’s is less stuffy than its Mayfair neighbours. It’s in a relatively unassuming Georgian townhouse and boasts comparatively cheap food. Iain Duncan Smith is a member, as is former Tory PM John Major. More riotous members are known for playing after hours indoor cricket in the club’s bar, and there is a thriving polo team.
