Outrage as MPs and lords throw away 2.6 million subsidized meals as families struggle

Pampered MPs and lords trashed 2.6 million diners as ordinary people struggle to feed their families.

Mounds of heavily subsidized food have been buried in a trash scandal that has enraged food poverty groups.

Shocking figures show that over six years, the dumped food would fill 153 eight-ton dumpsters. It weighed 1.23 million kilos, or 1,230 tons.

And that was dropped as MPs were able to take advantage of cut prices with an £82,000 salary - an 11% pay rise this year - and free heating on their second homes.

In contrast, more than two million hardened adults often admit to going without food for an entire day.

Millions more are facing pay rises below inflation - and fuel bills are heading towards the dreadful £5,000 a year

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Over six years, the food dumped would fill 153 eight-ton construction dumpsters (

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The Food Foundation found that between January and April, 7.3 million households reduced or skipped meals, an increase of 57%. And that makes Parliament's food waste even more insulting.

Writing for the Sunday Mirror today, poverty campaigner Jack Monroe accuses Parliament of blatant disregard for ordinary people.

The level of waste was revealed after a freedom of information request by the Sunday Mirror.

Last year, municipal officials recorded 148,230 kg of food waste, compared to 152,688 kg in 2020 and 258,869 kg in 2019.

Waste from the previous three years totaled 677,510 kg. This all equates to 2.6 million meals which, had they been sold for £8, would have been worth £20.8 million.

As the bins filled, taxpayers gave a record £9.1m to subsidize food and drink in Commons dining rooms in 2020-21, up from £4.6m sterling a year earlier. Yet Westminster food sales for the period were just £827,000.