Sales of bubbly in the House of Lords reached the highest level for five years last year, Freedom of Information figures have revealed.
Champagne sales in the upper chamber totalled £88,987.90 for 1,589 bottles.
The cost is slightly higher than the figure in the previous year, when 1,580 bottles were sold at a cost of £85,462.51.
Covid-restrictions helped reduce the amount spent to just £8,982 for 180 bottles in 2020.
An image from inside the House of Lords
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However, there has been a noticeable increase since the pandemic was abated.
The cost in 2019 stood at £69,988.80 for 1,441 bottles.
An MP from the Scottish National Party voiced their anger with the astronomical figure.
Edinburgh East MP Tommy Sheppard said: “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.
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A number of champagne bottles
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“The past year has been defined by Westminster’s cost of living crisis that has seen living standards plummet and countless more households pushed into poverty and deprivation – a reality alien to the Lords and their lavish lifestyles.”
He added: “A Parliament where unelected Lords glug fizz and collect £342 a day just for showing up is not a Parliament fit to properly represent the people.
“It’s beyond clear the House of Lords is archaic and out of touch – but it forms just one small part of a wider Westminster institution that doesn’t have the best interests of the people of Scotland in mind.
“The House of Lords should be abolished, but we should also be free to pursue an alternative from Westminster as a whole as we set up an independent country with a Parliament that puts the people of Scotland first.”
Tommy Sheppard MP speaks at the Missing EU Already Anti-Brexit Rally outside the Scottish Parliament
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The SNP does not have any representation in the House of Lords as it opposes the concept of an unelected second chamber.
A total of 785 peers sit in the House of Lords, with 270 from the Conservative Party and 175 from Labour.
A spokesman for the House of Lords claimed the majority of sales took place in the gift shop or at events hosted by external organisations.
They said: “All alcohol, including champagne, sold in the House of Lords is 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. It is not paid for by the taxpayer.”
