Can the Chancellor drink alcohol in Parliament during the Budget speech and where does the tradition come from?
THE Chancellor of the Exchequer is the only member of the House of Commons allowed to drink booze in the chamber, according to a historic ritual.
The country's top finance minister is allowed to have a sharpener while they are delivering their Budget speech at the despatch box.
Why can the chancellor drink during the Budget?
The reason why Philip Hammond could deliver the Budget while having a swift pint or a wee dram is simply tradition.
It is a parliamentary privilege solely afforded to the chancellor that has been handed down through the ages and has stood the test of time.
Where does the tradition come from?
The tradition of the chancellor being able to drink whatever they like during the Budget comes from the fact that it has just always been the case.
For hundreds of years the country's chief finance minister has been able to rock up to the despatch box with whatever they fancy to get them through the speech.
It's unlikely that Philip Hammond will partake while he stands at the despatch box as the three previous chancellors, George Osborne, Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown have all stuck to mineral water, but not all chancellors have been quite so sober.
Other Budget essentials
Which chancellors have drunk at the despatch box and what did they drink?
Phillip Hammond opted to drink water while delivering the Autumn Budget 2017.
Ken Clarke, the last Tory before George Osborne to hold the office, delivered his Budgets while sipping on a scotch.
Indeed the move seems to be far more popular with the Conservatives than other parties with Nigel Lawson favouring a spritzer and Geoffrey Howe being partial to a gin and tonic.
Further back in time Benjamin Disraeli liked to sink a brandy with water while his great rival William Gladstone enjoyed the unusual tipple of a sherry with a beaten egg.