Peer boasts about eating 20 year old biscuit in bizarre Lords debate

Parliamentary debates can often descend into battles of egos, but one peer has really taken the biscuit with a strange claim made yesterday.

Speaking in a House of Lords debate about how the government aims to tackle food waste, crossbencher Lord Palmer boasted that he had eaten out of date food and had lived to tell the tale.

He said: “I’m sure one of the main problems is that the sell-by dates on products is far, far too cautious. I remember once eating a biscuit that was 20 years old and it was perfectly edible.”

It’s not surprising that Palmer has such an interest in biscuits. His family owned the famous biscuit factory, Huntley and Palmers, which was founded in 1822. In 2017, conservators found a 106-year-old fruitcake from the company in artefacts from Antartica, which we hope Lord Palmer did not then eat.

Meanwhile, his pontificating comes as the utility of the House of Lords is debated, with The Times sparking a debate about hereditary peers earlier this week.

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Indeed, it was revealed that Palmer himself has claimed £216,673 in expenses since 2016 and has voted just 58 times.

This fortune is the equivalent to 115,000 packets of McVities chocolate digestive biscuits, though we suspect his hefty claims were not made for his rival’s product.

Some were slightly baffled as to why the issue was being raised in the Lords.

Responding to the concerns, Lord Goldsmith - who is also the DEFRA Minister - was quick to square up to Palmer’s bold claims.

He said: “My Lords I have considerable sympathy with that point. I don’t think I’ve eaten a biscuit quite that old but I would not be afraid of doing so.”

As pleasing as it is to see that Palmer is in good health despite consuming fossilised snacks, we think we’d swerve an invitation from him for afternoon tea.