A move to save money by merging the Lords' and Parliament's catering has come under fire because some Lords fear that the quality of the free Champagne will decline as a result.
During this government, the Lords have drunk 17,000 bottles of Champagne — about five bottles per Lord per year — at a cost of £265,770.
Other Lords have raised more sensible objections to the merger of their catering with Parliament's, such as the presence of mice in Parliament's kitchens and problems with pay negotiations.
The House of Lords – which has a £1.3m annual catering budget – has bought in more than 17,000 bottles of champagne since the coalition took office, enough to give each peer just over five bottles each year, at a cost of £265,770. As of 31 March this year, the House of Lords, which currently has 780 peers, had 380 bottles of champagne in stock, worth £5,713, held in its main cellar and at individual stores on site.
Champagne wars in the Lords as peers say no to a cheaper vintage [Daniel Boffey/The Observer]
(Image: champagne tower, kenichi nobusue, CC-BY)
