The largest food bank in Westminster is calling for an end to subsidized dining for Members of Parliament (MPs), proposing that the savings be redirected to tackle food poverty.
The North Paddington Food Bank (NPFB) in west London has launched a campaign aimed at urging policymakers to reallocate the millions spent on subsidized catering for parliamentarians towards addressing food insecurity. The campaign features artwork on billboards and a range of slogan T-shirts created by British artist Corbin Shaw to raise public awareness.
The charity has also set up a petition on Change.org, which has gathered more than 70,000 signatures since July 1, highlighting the £7 million reportedly spent by House of Commons catering services last year.
Thomas Delap, who runs NPFB, criticized the situation, stating that MPs were “fine dining on meal deal prices,” while “there was no mention of food poverty or food crisis in any manifesto,” despite more than 3 million British people relying on food banks last year.
As part of the campaign, a mock menu based on the one served to MPs has been uploaded to Deliveroo under a listing called “The Houses of Parliament.” The offerings include “pan-seared lemon sole with buttered English asparagus, watercress, white onion emulsions, poached mussels, oyster leaf, and caper burnt butter” for £10.10; “warm apricot and thyme tart and creamy blue cheese wedge” for £3; and “whipped black bomber cheese mousse, pine nut and pumpkin seed granola, sour grape gel and apple caviar” for £4.50.
Delap expressed his frustration, noting that it was infuriating to think that politicians were “eating like kings” while people were “starving.” He added, “It pissed me off, basically, to think that [MPs are] sat there and we’re on your doorstep supporting nearly 8,000 households, 20,000 people each year.”
The only item actually available to order via Deliveroo is a Shaw-designed T-shirt with the slogan “common as muck” on the front and “support your local food bank” on the back. Plates designed by Shaw as part of the campaign, featuring messages like “haven’t you had enough?” and “nationalise scran,” may also become available depending on demand.
Before launching the campaign, NPFB sought feedback from its volunteers, staff, and users. Delap noted that learning about the subsidized dining for MPs elicited “anger and shock.” He added, “If [the MPs] were eating egg mayonnaise sandwiches on the cheap, I don’t think anybody would really care. When you delve into the extravagance of the food and what’s on offer, that really angers people.”
Shaw, who grew up in Sheffield, has collaborated with documentary photographer Martin Parr and had his designs worn by supermodel Bella Hadid. He hopes the message will resonate beyond London. His artworks will be displayed on billboards nationwide, urging the public to support reallocating funds. “Nobody should have to use a food bank,” he said.
The campaign reflects the resurgence of slogan T-shirts. Shaw cited inspiration from the politically driven work of Sports Banger, known for creating a T-shirt featuring the NHS slogan above the Nike swoosh and “not for sale” on the back to support junior doctors. He views slogan tops as accessible activism.
Delap hopes the campaign will spark widespread conversations and grow “loud enough that [the new government] have no choice but to put policies in place to tackle poverty.” The plan is eventually to “work with MPs to see who might want to sit on the right side of this.” For now, he urges more people to sign the petition. “We’re going to need at least a few million signatures for this to be taken seriously,” he added.
Related Topics:
