Christmas crackers without the audible crack have been branded as yet another “virtue signalling” opportunity as dinner guests in the House of Commons were left confused by the lack of snap.
A note from the Commons Christmas feast said: “Let’s make some noise.
“We have removed the snap from this cracker to ensure it is completely recyclable.
“Part of the journey to make every Christmas a celebration of responsibility.”
WATCH NOW: 'Crackless' Christmas crackers branded woke 'virtue signalling' opportunity
Christopher Snowdon, who snapped a photo of the note, said on social media: “At my first Christmas dinner of [the] year.”
The IEA’s lifestyle economics head also told GB News: “Oh yes, [it made] no sound whatsoever.
“We pulled one, didn’t make any sound. That may sometime happen when you get a duff cracker.
“We pulled another one, that didn’t work either. Then we pulled out what we thought was going to be a joke, and some people would say maybe it is a bit of a joke, which is what you’ve just seen there and how Christmas is a celebration of responsibility.”
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An image of the note inside the cracker
GBN
He added: “I’m not really sure if this is going to be a game-changer for the climate, to be honest, whether we have a tiny bit of gunpowder in a piece of paper or not. But, yes, this is apparently the world we live in.
“And this is in the House of Commons by the way.”
Snowdon also argued: “I don’t suspect these crackers are going to be very commercially successful.
“These were brought in by, I think, the House of Lords and they’ve obviously decided that this is a good virtue-signalling opportunity.
An image of the note inside the cracker
GETTY
“I don’t imagine many families will be voluntarily buying them and I think if people buy them by mistake they will be fairly upset.
“So, I think that probably the forces of the free market can defeat this.”
A House of Lords spokesman has since confirmed the recyclable crackers would be used at its banqueting events this Christmas and said they were a “small part” of its commitment to reduce waste.
Alliance National, one of Britain’s biggest catering suppliers, recently announced it will offer environmentally friendly “crackless” crackers to its customers.
The organisation counts dozens of care homes, hotels, pubs and restaurants across the country as its customers.
