Leader’s critics call police after abuse and death threats to MPs

Labour in-fighting takes disturbing turn as Corbyn allies are criticised for whipping up protest

LABOUR MPs who have refused to back Jeremy Corbyn have been forced to call the police over death threats in the past 48 hours, has learnt.

A man who called Labour whip Vicky Foxcroft’s constituency office told the aide who picked up the phone: “If she doesn’t support Corbyn I will come down to the office and kick the f--- out of you.”

Police had to go to the office, close the shutters and attempt to trace the call after the man said he was on his way before hanging up.

Another MP who resigned over Mr Corbyn’s leadership received an email naming their child and threatening to kill them. Police have been passed the message and are now investigating.

Lucy Powell, the former shadow education secretary, received a message telling her to kill herself after announcing she would leave the front bench over frustrations with the leadership.

It was among a string of messages laden with expletives and personal abuse to be passed on to police.

A fourth Labour MP said they had become so concerned with the torrent of online abuse that they had forwarded the messages to police, while scores of others raised concerns.

The rhetoric of Mr Corbyn’s supporters has been criticised after John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, initially encouraged activists to protest against MPs.

He later made clear he did not condone constituency office protests. One former frontbencher has tabled a formal complaint to the Labour chief whip about the way some pro-Corbyn MPs have been addressing activists at rallies.

The spike in hostile messages was compared to the surge of abuse in the run-up to the Syrian air strikes vote last year, which led to a new security package for MPs amid concerns over safety.

Politicians and staff were said to be in tears yesterday as the abuse comes a fortnight after the murder of Jo Cox, the Labour MP for Batley and Spen who was shot and stabbed in her constituency. A Labour source said: “Women MPs have been subjected to the most vile stuff – we’re going to rape you, kill you. There have been people in tears today.”

The call to Ms Foxcroft’s constituency office in Lewisham, south London, was made on Tuesday. The caller demanded to know whether she backed Mr Corbyn. She is a whip and therefore remains neutral.

When the case worker who answered the call – who is in his twenties – did

‘Women MPs have been subjected to the most vile stuff. There have been people in tears today’

not reveal Ms Foxcroft’s position the man became agitated, promised to “kick the f---” out of staff and said he was heading to the office.

Ms Foxcroft told The Daily Telegraph: “As an MP, your skin gets pretty thick, pretty quickly. But when John McDonnell calls on Momentum activists to campaign against their MPs, it doesn’t take that much for people to feel like they should take things into their own hands.

“My staff work hard to provide support for hundreds of my constituents. They don’t need this level of abuse and threatening behaviour.”

A Labour source said that Mr McDonnell had told activists not to protest outside constituency offices and “could not have been clearer” in his opposition.

MPs on all sides of Labour’s party split have repeatedly spoken out against online abuse towards politicians.