The House of Lords spent nearly 90,000 pounds (Rs 94,66,293) on champagne last year, buying 1,589 bottles for events and their gift shop. According to The Guardian, figures released after a freedom of information request showed that, over the course of the year, 1,589 bottles of champagne were bought at a total cost of 88,987 pounds-about 56 pounds each. The cost is up slightly from the 2022 total, when 1,580 bottles were sold at a cost of 85,462 pounds, and a big jump from the quiet year of 2020, when lockdown meant only 180 bottles were popped.
“A parliament where unelected Lords glug fizz and collect 342 pounds a day just for showing up is not a parliament fit to properly represent the people,” said Tommy Sheppard, the SNP MP for Edinburgh East.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) doesn’t have any members in the House of Lords because they oppose the idea of having an unelected second chamber in the parliamentary system.
“Voters will be fizzing to hear that, while they were struggling to balance household finances and pay for basics like groceries and energy, unelected Lords were glugging back champagne,” Mr Sheppard told The Guardian.
“The past year has been defined by Westminster’s cost of living crisis, which has seen living standards plummet and countless more households pushed into poverty and deprivation-a reality alien to the Lords and their lavish lifestyles.”
In response to the revealed figures and the public’s concern, a representative from the House of Lords explained that all alcoholic beverages, including champagne, sold in the House of Lords were sold at a profit.
“Most of the champagne sold by the House of Lords is bought by visitors in the gift shop and consumed away from parliament by members of the public, or sold at banqueting events to organisations or individuals hosting the event in the House of Lords,” the spokesperson added. “It is not paid for by the taxpayer.”
