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Britain’s MPs charge VPNs to expenses as minister urges caution Technology Secretary Peter Kyle appeared to suggest that VPN use could put children at risk.
July 31, 2025 6:10 pm CET
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LONDON — MPs are connecting to virtual private networks (VPNs) as the U.K. government’s tech chief pleads with Brits to use them with care.
A POLITICO analysis of MPs’ expenses data shows that British lawmakers, including senior government ministers, are using commercial VPN software — and have charged their subscriptions to the public on expenses.
MPs with subscriptions include Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who expensed a two-year subscription for NordVPN in April 2024 — and Labour MP Sarah Champion, who in 2022 urged the then-Conservative government to examine if widespread VPN usage among teenagers could undermine the protections afforded by age checks.
The government has no plans to ban VPNs — which create a secure, encrypted connection over the internet — but is closely monitoring how young people use them.
It’s not surprising that lawmakers use VPNs given they “handle highly sensitive information daily,” from confidential government documents to private constituent communications, and often connect to unsecured networks when traveling or working remotely, said NordVPN’s Chief Technology Officer Marijus Briedis.
VPNs can “protect this data from potential interception by malicious actors or foreign state-sponsored surveillance” and make it harder for these groups to track officials’ whereabouts, he said.
For the public, too, VPNs “should be seen as a standard online security measure — much like encrypted communications and secure passwords,” said David Peterson, General Manager of Proton VPN.
But as VPN downloads skyrocketed in the U.K. this week after platforms implemented age checks to comply with extensive new duties under the
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, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle appeared to suggest that their use put children at risk.
“For everybody who’s out there thinking of using VPNs, let me just say to you directly: verifying your age keeps a child safe, keeps children safe in our country. So, let’s just not try and find a way around,” he told the BBC.
Banning VPNs is “not on the cards," he added. "I just want to urge caution in how people are using them."
A government spokesperson said: “We make no apology for holding platforms to account, to ensure they prevent children from bypassing safety protections. This includes blocking content that promotes VPNs and other workarounds, when they are aimed specifically at young users.
“More broadly, there are a range of legitimate reasons why adults might use VPNs which do not cut across children’s safety online.”
The government has no plans to ban VPNs — which create a secure, encrypted connection over the internet — but is closely monitoring how young people use them. | Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Blackmail risk
DSIT didn’t comment when asked to clarify why verifying adults’ ages would prevent children from encountering harmful content, as Kyle seemed to claim.
“Using a VPN reduces [your] risk of being blackmailed over a data leak from an age assurance provider,” said James Baker, platform power and free expression programme manager at Open Rights Group.
The digital rights organization has long warned that a lack of regulation could see third-party vendors of age assurance compete to offer platforms cheap services at the expense of data security.
It’s “no wonder” members of the public are turning to VPNs. “Age assurance has been done badly and there is no trust to hand some providers their details,” Baker added.
