NEW figures have been released showing how much our MPs cost the taxpayer in the past year.

Data from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority show MPs’ total business costs for the 2020-21 financial year.

These are essential costs incurred while carrying out their parliamentary duties, including staffing, office costs and travel.

And the figures reveal Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has a Government salary of £141,000, charged £2 for parking.

The average amount an MP cost the taxpayer came in at £203,880.

Colchester’s MP Will Quince’s total business costs for the 2020-21 financial year were £183,470.55, up from £157,122.23 the year before.

Mr Quince spent £167,400 on office running costs, including £148,700 on staff wages and £18,700 on other office expenditures.

Commenting on the figures, he said: “My team and I moved office to larger premises in part due to Covid and social distancing.

“I re-structured my small hard-working team, including taking on additional caseworker resource, to respond to the significant increase in casework from residents.”

He also spent £13,100 of his accommodation budget of £22,800 and a further £3,000 on travel and subsistence.

Clacton MP Giles Watling had business costs of £187,496.95, which is up from £152,395.77 the year before.

Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin cost taxpayers about £212,000, up from £170,151.78 the year before.

The figures also reveal the 172 individual claims made by Sir Bernard with the most expensive single claim being for staff payroll at £172,038.64.

Additional figures also show Witham MP Priti Patel was above the £200,000 mark.

The Home Secretary cost the taxpayer £203,000, and the smallest one-off expense she claimed was £2 for parking.

The total costs of MPs last year rose by four per cent to £132.5million.

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. With taxpayers facing a cost of living crisis, politicians should be doing their utmost to keep their spending down.”