Blitz on the hard-Left bullies
Intimidation and abuse of MPs on campaign trail could be treated as hate crimes in May crackdown
ABUSE and intimidation of politicians could be treated in the same way as hate crime under plans being considered by Theresa May.
The Prime Minister has ordered a review of the law after a string of Conservative candidates came forward with tales of horrifying abuse by Left-wing activists during last month’s general election.
One Tory candidate described how she felt ‘genuine fear’ as she campaigned to win her seat and was left too afraid to leave her home.
Government sources yesterday said the review was still in its infancy as officials seek to gain more information about the nature and scale of the problem.
But action could include making political motivation an aggravating factor when judges are considering sentences for abuse. This would allow courts to punish offenders with longer sentences, as they can when factors such as a victim’s race or sexuality are involved. A Government source said: ‘The Prime Minister has been shocked by the evidence of intimidation and harassment she has heard from colleagues. She is determined to stamp it out.’
Mrs May has ordered her new No 10 policy unit to draw up plans to better protect MPs, many of whom have been subjected to intimidation, death threats and attacks.
The unit will speak to MPs about their experiences before coming up with proposals aimed at tackling the growing problem.
Details of the plans came after more MPs stepped forward to reveal the scale of intimidation they had faced on the campaign trail.
Many said the abuse they experiten LABOUR MPs who do not support Jeremy Corbyn should be ousted, says film director Ken Loach.
He said the party needed representatives in Parliament who are ‘committed to this programme and will not work against it’.
Speaking to a crowd of 200,000 at the Durham Miners’ Gala, Mr Loach said MPs should face a mandatory reselection process before adding: ‘Because we cannot have the disgusting attacks that went on against Jeremy in the last Parliament. We need a united movement.’ enced this year was the worse they had ever known.
Andrea Leadsom, the Commons Leader, brought up her concerns in Cabinet about how MPs were treated after hearing stories from colleagues. It is understood one feature of the review will be the repeated defacement and destruction of Tory posters during the campaign.
In one case, Nazi swastikas were drawn on the posters of Cornish Tory MP Sheryll Murray.
Nigel Evans, the Tory MP for the Ribble Valley, revealed yesterday how he was forced to call the police after he was subjected to verbal abuse and then pushed outside a pub in Clitheroe, Lancashire.
He said: ‘I have been canvassing in general elections and many by-elections but this election just gone has left a worrying taste in my mouth.’
Byron Davies, who lost his seat in Gower to Labour, said he had received two death threats online during the campaign.
‘If this is the sick way politics is going, it will be a very sad world,’ he
told The Sunday Telegraph. A female candidate in her 30s, who lost in a Labour-held seat, said she felt ‘genuine fear’ after being targeted for abuse.
The unnamed candidate said: ‘When you’re a candidate in a safe Opposition seat, you know that it will be tough. But for the first time in my life, I felt genuine fear from the people attacking me, particularly on social media.’
She said she was shocked that there was no adequate protection for candidates, which left her with feelings of anxiety and loneliness.
‘I didn’t feel safe to go out or be at home alone,’ she said.
‘I made sure I had a group around me at all times when I was campaigning.’ She said the police were sympathetic, but ‘there was nothing they could really do’.
Her abusers even sent unpleasant messages to her family. She added: ‘It has made me think whether I really want to be an MP – the level of abuse and intimidation you face.
‘I feel it will reduce the talent pool of people willing to put themselves forward, which is bad for democracy.’
Conservative MP Johnny Mercer described how his wife, Felicity, was intimidated by a Labour supporter who yelled at her as they campaigned in Plymouth on the eve of the election.
Last week Mrs May said she had been ‘absolutely shocked’ at the number of colleagues who had talked to her about intimidation, harassment and bullying during the campaign.
She said: ‘There can be no place in our democracy for behaviour like that. I’m determined to do something about it. I’m determined to stamp it out.’