Bolsover MP Mark Fletcher cost the taxpayer around £240,000

Stats from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority show the Conservative MP's total business costs for the 2020-21 financial year were £239,984.59.

The MP's costs were up from £44,125.61 the year before, and well above the average for all Members of Parliament, of £203,880.

Mr Fletcher, elected in December 2019, spent £218,200 on office running costs in 2020-21, including £185,200 on staff wages and £32,900 on office expenditures. He forked out £17,700 of his accommodation budget (of £18,400), and a further £4,100 on travel and subsistence.

The total costs of MPs last year rose by 4 per cent, to £132.5 million, with almost £300,000 going on hotel claims for just 49 members. The average cost of an MP was up 29 per cent, from £158,103, in 2019-20.

Kit Malthouse was the most expensive MP attending the Cabinet in 2020-21, with total costs of £244,312 compared to £178,406 for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and £168,109 for Sir Keir Starmer.

Broxtowe MP Darren Henry was the most expensive overall, claiming more than £280,000.

The IPSA figures also reveal of the 228 individual claims made by Mark Fletcher in 2020-21, the most expensive single claim was for staff payroll – £185,045.08. The smallest one-off expense the 36-year-old claimed was 29p for stationery and printing.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It’s important MPs have the resources to do their jobs, but many taxpayers will be worried about the soaring cost of politics.”

Mark Fletcher's five largest types of costs were: payroll; £185,045.08, Rent; £30,031.07, equipment; purchase, £4,283.46, stationery & printing; £2,798.38, mileage; car £2,730.47. He also spent £1,490.83 on a working from home allowance.

Mr Fletcher said: “The costs published by IPSA reflect the increased demands which MPs faced in assisting constituents, often with very complex and difficult situations, as a result of the pandemic.

"Additional costs were made available for this purpose and since March 2020, I have assisted 13,000 constituents, which is over double what you would expect in that timeframe.

"The period also includes costs associated with the set-up of my office and the establishing of a constituency office in Bolsover Town Centre.”

IPSA’s chairman, Richard Lloyd, said compliance with the rules was at 99.7% last year.

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