The Government is under pressure to ban expenses for civil servants visiting their own departments. It comes as new figures show senior civil servants moved out of London offices as part of cost-cutting measures are claiming thousands of pounds in travel expenses for meetings at their headquarters in the capital, rather than joining virtually from their regional offices.

More than 23,000 civil service jobs have reportedly been moved out of London since 2020, with staff now working in so-called satellite offices in more affordable areas across the country. A Government spokesman insisted paying for the expenses is significantly cheaper than retaining the pricey London offices. However, both the Conservatives and Reform UK have criticised the spending.

Alex Burghart MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told The Telegraph it is "utterly absurd".

Danny Kruger MP, Reform UK's head of preparing for government department, added: "This is a slap in the face to every hard-working taxpayer forced to commute at their own expense just to pay for privileged civil servants with gold-plated pensions."

Government figures show officials billed a total of £139,719.97 in travel expenses, food and accommodation for overnight stays in just three months.

The Ministry of Justice saw the highest bill, with £42,498.98 expenses claimed between October and December last year, The Telegraph reported.

One senior Department for Transport civil servant claimed £7,019.58 for nine trips to a London office - including overnight stays and food - an average of £779.95 per trip.

The TaxPayers' Alliance has called on the Government to ban the practice and make senior staff based outside of the capital join via video link. There is reportedly no single policy regulating what civil servants can make expenses claim for.

A Government spokesman said: "Officials cannot claim travel expenses for commuting to their office - only for official travel to other locations. The cost of official travel is tiny to the £94m we are saving by closing 11 London office buildings.

"A third of senior civil servants are now based in government offices outside of London, in the communities they serve. These expenses reflect routine travel for them to deliver their roles and responsibilities."