Parliament serves food off German-made plates – sparking huge patriotism row and calls for Palace to 'buy British'
THE UK Parliament is serving food off German plates - sparking a huge patriotism row.
Furious MPs slammed the "outrageous" practice and called on the Palace of Westminster to put country first and 'buy British".
The members dining room in the House of Commons is used by MPs and is one of the grandest restaurants in the building.
Its elaborate menu boasts that "wherever possible we use British produce'.
But it serves its grub on plain white plates and saucers which are made by Villeroy and Boch - a German firm founded in 1748.
Gareth Snell, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central - known as 'The Potteries because of its proud ceramics industry - slammed the practice.
He told The Sun on Sunday: "Britain has the best ceramics in the world - but our own parliament is serving food off German plates.
'This is outrageous and it is unpatriotic.
'Parliament should support businesses in areas like mine and buy British crockery.'
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Britain's once booming potteries industry has been hammered by sky high energy costs. Many firms have shed jobs and some have closed.
Mr Snell is launching a Buy British potteries campaign - and is urging the parliamentary authorities to lead by example and only use UK-made plates.
Robert Flello, CEO of Ceramics UK, said: 'Why is the UK House of Commons using German cups and saucers and plates in the dining room used by MPs?
'It is outrageous. They need to be told to buy British. There is no excuse.
'Our potteries produce the best quality crockery.
'Buying British goods is a matter of national pride and will also help an industry struggling because our energy costs are going through the roof.
'If you go to any other country - France or Italy say - I bet their state institutions are using crockery made in their own country.'
Parliament has lots of different restaurants and cafes serving food off a wide range of crockery bought from suppliers from around the world.
While it uses some crockery made in the UK, it does not have a policy to only buy British.
A House of Commons spokesman said:'We source a wide range of crockery from firms within the UK, as well as from those based elsewhere.
All purchasing is in line with relevant legislation for public bodies, which prioritises value for money."
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