MPs spend 15 times more money on security following murder of Jo Cox

The amount of money MPs spent on security dramatically increased following the murder of Jo Cox in mid-2016, figures have shown.

According to the latest accounts from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), MPs spent £2.5m on security including CCTV equipment, panic alarms and new locks in 2016/17 – nearly 15 times the £170,000 figure from the previous year.

Ipsa previously described how dozens of MPs asked for additional security in the wake of the shooting of the Labour MP in her constituency of Birstall on 16 June 2016.

Labour MP Jess Phillips tweeted a picture of a locksmith changing the locks of the front door of her home in July 2016 after receiving threats.

"Angela Eagle was also forced to cancel constituency surgeries on police advice after receiving abuse and threats when she challenged Jeremy Corbyn to the Labour leadership.

IPSA's chair Ruth Evans said: "Following the tragic events of June 2016, there was a big increase in the total expenditure on security, rising to £2.5m during this year. It is important that we take the security of MPs, and that of their families and their staff, very seriously."

Thomas Mair, 53, was was jailed for life after being found guilty of shooting and stabbing the Remain campaigner outside her Batley and Spen constituency library.

Elsewhere, the total spending by MPs across all budgets last year stood at £109.9m. This figure included:

Office Costs – £11.5m
Staffing – £84.7m
Accommodation – £7.7m
Travel & Subsistence – £5.3m
Other – £60k

Evans added: "IPSA helps Members of Parliament to carry out their role, both in Westminster and in their constituencies.

"We do this by paying their legitimate business costs within a strong regulatory framework. We publish details of all their spending six times a year, and today, we round up all the spending for the 2016-17 financial year.

"Today we are also publishing our first Annual Review of Assurance. This publication contains information on all of the activity we undertook during the 2016-17 financial year to ensure that MPs' claims for business costs were appropriately evidenced and compliant with the Scheme of MPs' Business Costs and Expenses.

"Overall, there is a high degree of compliance by MPs."