Petition · past parliament
Stop PM’s “Free Meals” or stop their pay rise.
Rejected
11 signatures
What the petition asks
Stop the pay rise or The “free meals”
The House of Commons menu is the cheapest menu in the area.
MP’s are getting almost free meals, a high salary AND a £3000 Pay rise but can’t support hungry children or the nation correctly during a pandemic?
The House of Commons menu is the cheapest menu in the area.
MP’s are getting almost free meals, a high salary AND a £3000 Pay rise but can’t support hungry children or the nation correctly during a pandemic?
The people are angry. No one wants to live in a country where it’s them vs the people.
MP’s live on such a high salary that they don’t understand it from our point of view. The doctors that work 100+hrs a week, the bin men, the traders, the shop owners. We all work physical or hard jobs and don’t even get a 1% pay rise. I’ve seen on the news mp’s falling asleep!? And they’re getting 3% + pay rise. For what!?
They don’t do anything
MP’s live on such a high salary that they don’t understand it from our point of view. The doctors that work 100+hrs a week, the bin men, the traders, the shop owners. We all work physical or hard jobs and don’t even get a 1% pay rise. I’ve seen on the news mp’s falling asleep!? And they’re getting 3% + pay rise. For what!?
They don’t do anything
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
The UK Government and Parliament aren't responsible for setting MPs' pay or expenses. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is responsible for deciding on MPs' expenses and pay. IPSA is independent of both Parliament and Government.
You can find out more about IPSA here: https://www.theipsa.org.uk/about-us/
MPs may claim for the cost of purchasing food and non-alcoholic drinks where they have stayed overnight outside the London Area and their constituency. This is limited to £25 for each night they have stayed, but the claims can be for purchases made during the day.
We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:
Increase food and drink prices for MPs in House of Commons catering venues: Increase food and drink prices for MPs in House of Commons catering venues
Increase food and drink prices in House of Commons catering venues: Increase food and drink prices in House of Commons catering venues
The House of Commons Catering service does not provide a subsidised service in the commercial sense of the word. Some venues make a profit, while in other venues the cost of providing the service does exceed the income received in sales due to the irregular hours and unpredictability of parliamentary business. The House of Commons publishes details of the cost of House of Commons catering services: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/catering-services/transparency-reporting-catering-services/
Customers of the House of Commons Catering Services include some of the 650 MPs but also around 14,500 other pass-holders, many of whom are staff on lower wages that work irregular hours. In addition, members of the public and non pass holding visitors to Parliament also have access to these services. The irregular hours and the unpredictability of Parliamentary business contribute to increasing the net cost of providing a catering service. To offset this many of the restaurants, dining room facilities and their staff, are used to cater for private events at times when they are not required by the House. This is one of a number of measures used to reduce costs.
You can find out more about IPSA here: https://www.theipsa.org.uk/about-us/
MPs may claim for the cost of purchasing food and non-alcoholic drinks where they have stayed overnight outside the London Area and their constituency. This is limited to £25 for each night they have stayed, but the claims can be for purchases made during the day.
We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:
Increase food and drink prices for MPs in House of Commons catering venues: Increase food and drink prices for MPs in House of Commons catering venues
Increase food and drink prices in House of Commons catering venues: Increase food and drink prices in House of Commons catering venues
The House of Commons Catering service does not provide a subsidised service in the commercial sense of the word. Some venues make a profit, while in other venues the cost of providing the service does exceed the income received in sales due to the irregular hours and unpredictability of parliamentary business. The House of Commons publishes details of the cost of House of Commons catering services: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/catering-services/transparency-reporting-catering-services/
Customers of the House of Commons Catering Services include some of the 650 MPs but also around 14,500 other pass-holders, many of whom are staff on lower wages that work irregular hours. In addition, members of the public and non pass holding visitors to Parliament also have access to these services. The irregular hours and the unpredictability of Parliamentary business contribute to increasing the net cost of providing a catering service. To offset this many of the restaurants, dining room facilities and their staff, are used to cater for private events at times when they are not required by the House. This is one of a number of measures used to reduce costs.
Timeline
| 23 Oct 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 3 Nov 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
11
Status
Rejected
Rejected
3 Nov 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.