James Cleverley will host a roundtable with police chiefs to discuss what more can be done to protect MPs. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA
Security guards will be deployed at MP events as part of a £31 million campaign to protect politicians amid increased threats following the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
MPs Those at risk will be able to use private security for events or operations in constituencies, as Home Secretary James Cleverley pledged in a statement to “protect the people, processes and institutions on which our democracy relies.”
Since the October 7 Attack on Israel, pro-Gaza activists have held demonstrations and have been accused of intimidating politicians into supporting a ceasefire.
MPs most at risk will also be able to turn to private bodyguards , who will protect them 24/7 due to physical threats to their safety.
In February it was revealed that three female politicians had already been provided with taxpayer-funded bodyguards.
The money will also go towards security improvements such as CCTV, alarms and sensors needed in MPs' homes or constituency offices. Cybersecurity advice for politicians will be expanded amid concerns about the number of online threats and abuses against MPs.
Ministers have promised that all elected representatives and candidates will have a dedicated police contact to liaise with on security matters. The Home Office said this represents a significant expansion of the support provided under current policing arrangements.
Conservative MP Mike Freer's office was set on fire
Some of the new money will also be used to create a community fund to pay for extra police patrols in areas where tensions are highest amid the war in the Middle East.
Protests in support of the Gaza Strip have become a weekly event in cities and towns across the UK, causing particular concern among Jewish communities.
Mr Cleverley will hold a roundtable with police chiefs on Wednesday to discuss what more can be done to improve the situation. the safety of politicians from «intimidation, subversion or subversion.»
Announcing the new fund, he said: “I take the safety of all members of the House of Representatives very seriously. None of us have to accept that ongoing hate crimes, harassment or threats are part of our job.»
Security Secretary Tom Tugendhat, who discussed the package with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in February, said: «We will do everything necessary to protect those elected to represent their local communities and protect our democratic freedoms.»
Intimidation of MPs is 'toxic'He condemned recent «disgraceful attempts to intimidate MPs» who pose a «threat to our democracy and are toxic for our society.”
In January, Conservative MP Mike Freer announced he would not seek re-election in part because of threats of violence, the burning of his office and the abuse he has suffered because of his pro-Israel stance.
The announcement of the security package comes after Rishi Sunak on Monday rejected former deputy Labor leader Harriet Harman's proposal for MPs to speak and vote from their constituencies due to concerns about security in Westminster.
Mike Freer said he will not run for re-election after several attacks on him for his pro-Israel stance. Photo: Twitter
Downing Street said the Prime Minister believes it is “really important that we maintain Parliament as a place for free debate and the expression of views.”
Ms Harman, who is the «mother of the House» and the longest-serving female MP, suggested a return to Covid-era remote working may be needed to ensure politicians are protected in the face of threats and intimidation.
She suggested that a return to a “hybrid” work model could be considered at the speakers' conference.
“Sometimes they could vote through branch lobbies and sometimes online. I think we now have a process that we experimented with during Covid that we could actually revive,” she said.
This also applies to Jonathan Hall QC, the independent government expert on terrorism issues. The law warned that the terrorist threat posed by Islamist extremists in the UK had increased due to events in the Middle East.
He highlighted that the mastermind of the July 7 2005 London bombings, which killed 52 people, was motivated by events in Palestine.
Deputies are afraid to speak in parliament.
He said: «I think the risk has now increased as a result of October [when Hamas attacked Israel].»
He said he was most concerned about threats to MPs from people on the Internet. “If you see last week, MPs are literally afraid to show up [in parliament], apparently wanting to change their behavior in parliament because of the threats they receive.
«If this is done to influence the way the government operates and the way parliamentarians work, then in fact it does begin to fall within the realm of terrorism and may even require counter-terrorism measures.»
The Tory Party has been gripped by an Islamophobia row after MP Lee Anderson said Islamists had «taken control» of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
He was suspended from the party, but the Prime Minister refused to describe his comments as Islamophobic amid concerns that the definition of the term used by Labor and the Lib Dems threatens freedom of speech and limits legitimate criticism of Islamist extremism.
The Prime Minister called Anderson's offensive comments were «wrong» but denied the Conservative Party had «Islamophobic tendencies».
In an interview with the BBC, when asked if the party had a problem with Islamophobia, he Rishi Sunak said: «Of course it does not so.”
In an article for the Telegraph, Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, said he had been “smeared” as an Islamophobe after speaking out against “bullying” by Islamist extremists and their “far left” allies.»
«It has now become commonplace to use the label 'Islamophobia' to silence criticism of extremism and sectarian politics,» he said. warned that some definitions of Islamophobia, including Labour's, threaten to introduce blasphemy laws behind the scenes.
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