An MP who allegedly needed a wheelchair after becoming drunk on a flight to an Armistice Day event has blamed an unusual reaction to her medication for being unwell.
Labour MP Charlotte Nichols claimed she had no more to drink than colleagues but that her medication reacted badly with the alcohol, affecting her tolerance to it.
Ms Nichols, together with two SNP MPs, Drew Hendry and David Linden, were said to have been drinking before and during the BA flight from Heathrow to Gibraltar on Tuesday.
A defence source told The DailyTelegraph the three were “quite clearly drunk when they were checking in and going through the process of boarding”, then “drank heavily on the plane”. Ms Nichols “had to be moved to the transport by wheelchair”, the source claimed.
She later missed a welcome event hosted by the military.
It was also claimed military staff were forced to intervene to calm the SNP MPs down when their Covid passports did not work. They were among more than a dozen MPs flying to Gibraltar for the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, which aims to give politicians an insight into military life.
In a statement to The Sun Ms Nichols said: “Everyone had had a few drinks on the flight.”
The MP, who ran the London marathon for charity, said: “The issue for me is the medication I am taking. That affected my tolerance. I had the same amount to drink as the others. I do not know how many drinks I had — I wasn’t counting. It was less [sic] than five.”
Defence secretary Ben Wallace is to complain to the leaders of the two parties, saying it showed “a lack of respect for the enduring work of our armed forces” and risked “undermining respect for parliament”.
The three MPs did not deny they had been drinking but denied being drunk on the plane.
An SNP spokesperson told The Telegraph: “These suggestions are inaccurate. Drew Hendry MP and David Linden MP were honoured to be invited to this important event and attended all engagements, including the welcome meeting and dinner shortly after landing.
“Instead of trying to divert attention from the Tory corruption scandal engulfing Westminster, Ben Wallace should be apologising for his role in it, including voting to get Owen Paterson off the hook.”
A Labour source told the Evening Standard they accepted Ms Nichols had had a reaction to medication while on the flight.
The Independent has asked Ms Nichols and the SNP to comment.
