Landslide election cost £52m in staff turnover payments

The UK's parliamentary pay regulator recently announced that the cost of replacing over 2,000 members of parliament and their political staff after the last general election amounted to £52.8 million. This expense primarily covered the closure of former MPs' offices and the establishment of new ones, with approximately one-third going towards staff severance payments.

A report from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) noted that the Labour Party's landslide victory in the election led to 350 MPs leaving office, the largest number of departing MPs in any election in nearly fifty years. The report showed that a total of 2,373 people lost their jobs as a result, including 2,023 staff members working for MPs who lost their seats or resigned. In contrast, only 460 staff members were actually laid off during the 2019 general election.

Ipsa stated that this "almost unprecedented" staff turnover increased the cost of supporting those who lost their jobs by 286%. These costs included terminating leases, settling outstanding payments, and paying staff severance. MPs who lost their seats and had served for at least two years were entitled to double the statutory minimum redundancy pay. All departing or resigning MPs were eligible for a "winding-up" payment equivalent to four months' salary to compensate them for the time spent closing their offices, which was extended from two to four months for this election, during which they could also claim expenses.

Richard Lloyd, Chair of Ipsa, stated, "MPs’ offices are like a small business. They are employers, and any MP who is not re-elected in the 2024 general election must fully close their office by November 4th." He also added, "Ipsa is proud of the role it plays in supporting a representative parliament, and people should not be prevented from becoming an MP or working for an MP because of their personal financial circumstances."

Ipsa was established in 2009 following the MPs' expenses scandal and is responsible for overseeing MPs' pay and expenses, including the salaries of constituency caseworkers, parliamentary assistants, and other staff working for MPs.