Lords lap up thousands of afternoon teas

MEMBERS of the House of Lords have gobbled thousands of afternoon teas in their subsidised restaurants.

It has been revealed that the lords got through 2111 of the posh treat last year.

The unelected peers, who receive £300 a day for turning up at the Lords, pay £17 a head for the tea, sandwiches and cakes.

In a nearby venue the Crystal Moon lounge, it would cost £60 per person for afternoon tea.

The House of Lords Afternoon Tea menu includes Indian tea served with a selection of Cucumber, Tomato, Egg and Cress, and Poached Salmon and Mayonnaise sandwiches, followed by scones with jam and cream and assorted cakes and pastries.

The details disclosed in a freedom of information request by the SNP, which does not nominate anyone to the Lords, showed that Lords bought 259 bottles of champagne.

The SNP accused the peers of “lording it up”.

The party said that the Lords bars and restaurants were handed a subsidy of £1.2million last year to cover losses.

Tom Arthur, SNP MSP, said: “It’s clear that the only thing these unelected peers are interested in doing is lording it up in the heavily subsidised West- minster bars and restaurants.

“Rather than actually doing any work on their visits to the office, they treat themselves to Afternoon Teas and bottles of champagne in a lifestyle that most people could only dream of. And it is all being done at our expense, with the subsidy last year totalling £1.2m.

“The House of Lords is an affront to democracy, It should be shut down for good.”