Two Masonic lodges said to be operating in secret

Two Masonic lodges established for MPS and political journalists are operating in secret near Westminster, it was claimed last night.

New Welcome Lodge, which recruits MPS, Lords and parliamentary staff, has around 30 to 40 members, of whom around four are current MPS, according to The Guardian.

Gallery Lodge, named after the parliamentary press gallery, has around 45 members, although the governing body of Freemasonry claims no journalists have joined it since 2000. The two lodges meet four times a year at Freemasons’ Hall, the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England, in Covent Garden.