Chairman of the Commons catering commitee, Dennis Turner, serves speaker Michael Martin a "modestly priced" tea in the new cafe.

Westminster's latest bid to reconnect with voters is to offer them "a cuppa and home-made scones" in the House of Commons.

Lavish catering facilities and numerous bars have long been the stuff of legend for outsiders to the world of Westminster - delights that can now be sampled by the general public in the Commons' new Jubilee Cafe.

Opened on Tuesday by the speaker, Michael Martin, the drop-in cafe will serve teas, coffees and light refreshments in a room with a "vaulted Victorian gothic ceiling and pillars, lit on two sides by narrow archery slits" uncovered during the renovation of the building adjoining Westminster Hall.

"We now have a wonderful cafe, where constituents and other visitors to the House of Commons can enjoy a modestly priced cup of tea and a bite to eat in the most historic surroundings," said Martin

Seating 100, the new attraction is the latest addition to the country's biggest in-house catering operation.

The House of Commons refreshment department already serves 7,000 meals per day and employs 350 staff in 30 locations.