More than £20m has been spent refurbishing and improving the House of Commons estate since Scotland’s independence referendum in 2014, according to new figures obtained by the SNP.
Data released under Freedom of Information legislation shows £20,107,400 has been charged to the taxpayer over the past 11 years for day to day maintenance, refurbishment and improvement works across the Westminster parliamentary estate, including the Palace of Westminster and associated buildings.
Spending reached its highest level on record in the last financial year alone, with £2.5m incurred in 2024 to 2025, a figure the SNP says is equivalent to the annual salaries of 74 nurses in Scotland.
The party has used the figures to highlight what it describes as the ongoing cost of the Westminster system, particularly at a time when households across Scotland continue to face pressure from rising living costs.
Commenting on the data, SNP MP Brendan O’Hara said the figures underlined misplaced priorities.
“This damning data reveals the true cost of Westminster, a system where, in the midst of a UK Government induced cost of living crisis, taxpayers must foot the bill for millions of pounds of refurbishments each year.
“This Christmas, while families across Scotland will be choosing between heating and eating, the House of Commons will be choosing between which expensive renovations should take place first in the new year as a present from the people of this country.
“It’s clear that the system is broken, and while the House of Commons spends millions refurbishing its estate, the SNP is spending millions to take action where it matters most, bringing down waiting lists, growing the economy and tackling child poverty.”
He argued that the refurbishment bill was only part of a much larger picture.
“If Westminster has splashed £20m on refurbishment costs alone since the independence referendum, just think of the money drained by the broken system overall since 2014.
“It’s clear that Scotland can, and will, do better with the right to decide our own future, delivering a fresh start with independence.”
