NordVPN is the most popular VPN amongst UK politicians – but they're not getting the best deals

Tom's Guide

18 hours ago

Analysis of the expenses claimed by UK politicians has revealed NordVPN is the most commonly claimed for VPN service.
Seeing as NordVPN tops our best VPN list, we're pleased to see UK MPs subscribing to a safe and secure VPN service, but they don't appear to be getting the best VPN deals.
No matter the provider, two-year VPN deals always work out cheaper per month than annual or one month subscriptions. Expenses data shows multiple MPs taking out annual plans and therefore not getting the cheapest deals.
Furthermore, only nine out of a possible 650 MPs expensed VPN subscriptions, an alarmingly low uptake.
VPNs have been a hot topic amongst UK politicians in recent weeks. VPN usage in the country has skyrocketed thanks to people looking to bypass age verification checks implemented as part of the controversial Online Safety Act.
NordVPN: our best VPN overall
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Until August 12, all subscriptions come with a 4 extra months of protection for free. Premium NordVPN plans come with free Amazon gift cards worth up to $50 / £50. There's also a 30-day money-back guarantee and the two-year deal is the best value for money.
650 MPs sit in the House of Commons, and publicly available data shows nine of them have expensed VPN subscriptions in recent years.
NordVPN was the most popular provider, with five MPs expensing plans. Labour MP Jonathan Reynolds, the UK government's current Secretary of State for Business and Trade, is the most high-profile MP to expense a NordVPN subscription.
Reynolds claimed £80.68 for a two-year NordVPN plan in April 2024 and is one of the only MPs to take advantage of the better value two-year deal.
Fellow Labour MP Alex Sobel claimed £83.99 for a one-year NordVPN plan in December 2023 and made the same claim in December 2024.
Labour MP Kate Osamor made four claims labelled "NORDVPN" or "NORD PRODUCTS" between 2020 and 2024.
Conservative MP Gareth Davies also claimed for an annual NordVPN subscription, worth £76.99 in December 2023. Conservative colleague Chris Heaton-Harris claimed £120.53 for an annual NordVPN subscription in February 2020 – the most expensive VPN claim out of any MP.
There were also a number of claims for unidentified or potentially unsafe VPNs.
Labour MP Luke Pollard claimed £9.99 for Secure VPN in March 2023. There are a number of VPN providers with the name "Secure VPN" so it's unclear which one Pollard subscribed to – however none are recommended by Tom's Guide.
Pollard also claimed £9.99 back for an expense titled "VPN for Shadow Ministerial visits abroad" once in November 2023 and once in February 2024. We can't say for certain that this was also "Secure VPN" but it's the same price.
Former Conservative MP Ben Wallace, who stood down at the 2024 general election, submitted the most VPN-related expenses.
Between May 2019 and February 2020 he submitted eight claims, ranging from £10.33 to £11.16. They were titled "VPN access", "VPN service", "VPN usage", and "VPN". We don't know which service Wallace was subscribing to at the time.
A claim was submitted almost every month and it would have been far cheaper for Wallace to take out a single one or two-year VPN plan.
It appears as though he did eventually do that. In May 2020 he claimed £84.61 for an ExpressVPN subscription and did so again in May 2022, at a cost of £83.97.
Another former Conservative MP, Michael Fabricant, submitted two claims worth £116.16 each for "Netshade (Rayner) VPN and Proxy" and "Security software VPN" in July 2022. He claimed £112.62 in July 2019 for "Rayner Netshade Software subscription for UK VPN for iPad."
We cover all manner of VPNs here at Tom's Guide, but Netshade is not one we have ever tested or reviewed, so we can't recommend the provider. A quick search suggests it only supports iOS and Mac, has 24 servers, and costs between $2 and $5 per month.
This data leaves us wondering how secure MP's tech is and how clued up UK politicians are on cybersecurity practices.
We'd like a little more context to this data. Are VPNs provided for MPs and these expenses simply extras? Or is it up to the individual to purchase a VPN for themselves? If the latter is true, nine out 650 protecting their data with a VPN is a worryingly low figure. Although we don't know how many MPs subscribe to a VPN and choose not to claim the cost back.
Not everyone needs a VPN, but they can be very useful for those working with sensitive information – MPs would fall into that category.
They will deal with important and potentially sensitive data, want to communicate securely, and won't want to become the victim of a data breach. VPNs encrypt your data and protect it from hackers and third-parties. Using one, alongside other cybersecurity tools, can create a robust defence against cyber crime.
Research by Proton, the team behind Proton VPN, suggests cybersecurity education may be lacking amongst not just UK politicians, but also those in the EU and US.
It found the emails of 443 MPs (68%) had been breached and leaked on the darkweb, along with 284 passwords. The EU parliament had 309 emails breached (44%) and 195 passwords exposed. 3,191 emails (20%) and 2,975 passwords belonging to US political staffers were also discovered on the dark web.
Tom's Guide has contacted the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as well as individual MPs, to find out more information on cybersecurity education amongst UK politicians.
A UK Parliament spokesperson said: "UK Parliament takes the cyber security of Members of both Houses extremely seriously."
"We provide advice, hands on support, and make cyber security software available to Members, to inform them of the risks and how to manage their digital safety, however we do not comment on specific details of our cyber security controls and policies."
We therefore can't say for sure if the software made available to politicians includes VPNs.
As mentioned earlier, VPNs have become a major talking point in the UK over the last two weeks. The newly introduced Online Safety Act means sites and apps hosting explicit material or content deemed unsafe for children must carry out age verification checks on their users.
There is evidence that VPNs can bypass these checks and as a result some have been wondering if the UK government will ban VPNs.
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, has ruled out a VPN ban but has said he'd look "very closely" at how they're being used in relation to the new law.
Kyle has been widely criticised for saying those attempting to bypass age verification checks by using a VPN are "on the side of predators."
Many of those opposing the law are doing so because of the cybersecurity risks involved in handing over the sensitive personal data needed to verify age. Cybersecurity experts have called it a "disaster waiting to happen."
Prior to the Online Safety Act becoming law, Labour MP Sarah Champion tried to pass an amendment which would give OFCOM power to investigate VPN usage that undermined regulations. In July 2025, she tweeted her frustration over the surge in VPN usage in response to the law.
Champion was one of the MPs who expensed a VPN subscription. In October 2024, she claimed £12.36 for Norton VPN, although it's unclear for what purpose.
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