MORE than £2.4 million has been spent by the House of Commons on non-disclosure agreements with employees over the last five years.

Official figures released today show 53 “gagging clauses” were used between 2013 and 2017, costing £2,407,176.78.

Women and equalities committee chair Maria Miller called for greater transparency on why the payments were being made.

Every settlement agreement included confidentiality clauses, but authorities in the Commons – which employs 2,500 people – said they do not prevent those who signed them from whistleblowing.

Scrutiny of such agreements has heightened after Angus Sinclair, a former private secretary to the Speaker John Bercow, told the BBC he was given “compulsory early retirement,” with an £86,250 pay-off dependent on him signing a non-disclosure agreement.

Mr Bercow strenuously denies the claims made against him.

A House of Commons spokesman said: “Like many other organisations, the House of Commons uses settlement agreements to resolve employment disputes under certain circumstances.”