It’s the biggest issue facing British politics: what to do about parliament’s catering? An army marches on its stomach and our legion of lords and legislators is no exception. For months, Mr S has heard grumbles about standards slipping in the Commons canteen. And now, finally, we have the proof, for today parly bosses admitted in a post on the internal staff intranet that:
the most recent inspection led to a new food hygiene rating of two stars, down from [the] previous rating of five… Environmental health officers identified the presence of pests near catering venues. This is a particular challenge in parliament.
Given the calibre of some MPs, that’s an understatement, to say the least. The size of the Commons’ catering operation, historic nature of the buildings and their location – close to the riverfront and the underground ventilation network – all present challenges from a pest control perspective. Staff within parliament are now being asked to ‘not store food in offices’ and ‘to dispose of food and waste and rubbish appropriately’ with training and cleaning routines being stepped up.
Rats have of course traditionally been a staple part of political life but not all within parliament are happy with the current response. A hungry member of staff told Mr S that: ‘It’s rather put me off todays offering of Chiddingly hot pot. One wonders if it’s actually beef!’ Another source complained: ‘Maybe this is why they’ve recently been opting for plastic cutlery. Are the rats in the dishwashers?’
Food for thought perhaps for Lindsay Hoyle as he valiantly tries to clean up parliament’s reputation.
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