MPs and Lords to compete in Parliamentary Pancake Race for disability charity

MPs, Lords and political journalists will once again be taking part in the annual Parliamentary Pancake Race to raise money for the disability charity Rehab.

The race, which attracts a large number of tourists, is set to take place in Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster, on Shrove Tuesday, 9 February from 10am.

MPs have not won the race since 2013. The journalists scooped the title in 2015 and the Lords in 2014.

Cathy Newman, Channel 4 news presenter and official starter for the 2016 Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race, said: “While the European referendum battle looms large on the horizon, there is only one contest that is on the minds of the movers and shakers in Westminster and that is the intensely-fought Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race.

“As Official Starter, my job is to ensure fair play for the good eggs and to call time on any flipping tossers! Of course, it's all for a brilliant cause in supporting Rehab and its work with disabled people and I'd encourage people to come along and to lend their support in whatever way they can.”

She added: “A huge draw for tourists who flock to the event to 'egg' on the participants, and covered by the media from all corners of the earth—from Australia and the USA, to Vietnam and Saudi Arabia—it's a whole lot more entertaining than the EU referendum, or your pancake back!"

The event, which is sponsored this year by Hudgell Solicitors, has been going for 18 years in the shadow of Big Ben. The 2012 race had to be re-run after allegations of cheating prompted the race scrutineer and TV news anchor Natasha Kaplinsky to order the teams to line up again. The race takes approximately four minutes—almost the same amount of time it takes to cook an actual pancake.

Rehab Group is a charity which works under a number of different names. In the UK, these are Momentum, Haven Enterprises, TBG Learning, Acorn Training Consultants and The Chaseley Trust.

It provides life-changing services to thousands of people in England, Wales and Scotland each year. These include care, rehabilitation, training, labour market and employment services to people living with brain injury, mental health issues and a wide range of disabilities, as well as those marginalised and looking for support in gaining skills and job-seeking.

For more information on the Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race, visit www.parliamentarypancakerace.co.uk, follow on facebook.com/RehabParliamentaryPancakeRace and on twitter @flip4rehab using the hashtag #RehabPancakeRace

For more information about Hudgell Solicitors go to https://www.hudgellsolicitors.co.uk/