When Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson was well known for holding ‘beer and sandwiches’ discussions with trade unions and employers at Downing St. The first reference I can find is on 17th June 1966 when Wilson met both sides in the national dock strike. Ben Pimlott’s biography of Wilson noted that the talks failed but Wilson persisted with his beer and sandwiches approach to negotations. Wilson’s own memoirs however suggest that he used the beer and sandwiches strategy to resolve a national rail dispute on 12th February 1966
Beer and sandwiches does have an Andy Burnham ring to it but modern workplace protocols suggest that recent meetings with unions at Downing St have been accompanied by tea and biscuits.
Meanwhile the Paris based socialist activist John Mullen has used the term ‘Bordeaux and sandwiches’ to describe talks that took place between French union leaders and the French Government on Monday. No agreement was reached and most of the unions involved have called further protests and strikes. Mullen makes the point that while drinking wine and eating sandwiches the union leaders are not in the vanguard of the French revolt but in the rear.
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