The amount of money MPs are spending on security has skyrocketed following the murder of Jo Cox, new figures show.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's latest accounts show MPs spent £2.5m on security in 2016/17 - up from £170,000 the previous year.

IPSA chair Ruth Evans said the rise was a reminder that "we take the security of MPs, and that of their families and their staff, very seriously".

Image: MP Jo Cox was murdered in June 2016

The figure is 14 times that of the previous year, and forms part of the annual report of MPs expenses.

Topping the list of claims was Labour's Jamie Reed with £243,279, with the SNP's Alex Salmond just behind with £235,128.


Mr Reed stood down from the Copeland seat he had represented since 2005 at the June general election, while Mr Salmond was ousted from his Gordon seat.

Other SNP MPs - including Brendan O'Hara, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh and Alison Thewliss - heavily dominated the top 10 claimers.

MPs total spends in 2016/17

:: Office costs - £11.5m

:: Staffing - £84.7m

:: Accommodation - £7.7m

:: Travel and subsistence - £5.3m

:: Other - £60,000

Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell was the lowest living claimer in the Commons last year, with expenses of just £3,054.

The total bill to the taxpyaer for accommodation alone was £7.7m - up from £7.26 in 2016.

But the oversall cost of running MPs' offices fell by £3.7m - likely because the previous year included a general election, which saw winding up and redundancy payments for those who lost their seats.