SUBSIDIES for members of the House of Lords are under scrutiny after it emerged that the £300-per-day peers have been scoffing cut-price afternoon teas by the thousand.

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request revealed that more than 2100 traditional afternoon teas were purchased in the House of Lords in 2016/17 – for less than a third of what they would cost outside Westminster.

In total, the numerous venues within the House of Lords were given a £1.2 million subsidy by the public to cover losses last year. This information has led to a swingeing attack by the SNP, which does not nominate members to sit in the Lords.

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The SNP said: “The heavily-subsidised House of Lords bars and restaurant serve up all manner of indulgences for peers – including the £17-a-head traditional afternoon teas, which 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.

“By contrast, the Lords would have to shell out £60 of their own money for a similar meal just a 10-minute walk away.”

Further indulgences were revealed. Also purchased last year were 259 bottles of House of Lords Champagne NV and 113 orders of strawberries and cream. Members can feast in exclusive venues such as the Barry and Home Rooms that are only open to peers and “certain senior staff”. Most exclusive is the Bishops Bar, which can be used only by peers, clerks, Black Rod and the Yeoman Usher.

SNP MSP Tom Arthur said: “It’s clear that the only thing these unelected peers are interested in doing is lording it up in the heavily subsidised Westminster 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, and it is embarrassing for us all that these £300-a-day, unelected peers are lawmakers in any 21st-century country. The archaic, undemocratic and wasteful institution’s time has come – it should be shut down for good.”

It has been reported previously that the level of subsidy has reduced by 38 per cent in 10 years. In response to a previous FoI request the House of Lords offices said: “The unique nature and working practices of the House of Lords means an operating loss on catering facilities is inevitable.

“The unpredictable nature of parliamentary business and the House not sitting every week of the year requires a higher level of labour resources than would be the case in dedicated catering venues and therefore catering services operate with a subsidy.

“The House of Lords is working to increase efficiencies and raise prices where appropriate in order to reduce the catering and retail services subsidy on a year-by-year basis.

“There has been a consistent reduction in the level of the House of Lords catering and retail subsidy since 2007/08.”