Gagging clauses cost House of Commons £2.4m in five years

The House of Commons has spent more than £2.4m on so-called gagging clauses for staff over the last five years, official figures show.A total of 53 non-disclosure agreements were signed between 2013 and 2017, at a cost of £2,407,176.78, according to data released under the Freedom of Information Act.Concerns have been raised that parliamentary staff who claim to have been bullied have been asked to sign such agreements to prevent their claims from becoming public.