Warning over work needed on bullying

Britain has “a lot to do” to safeguard its democracy from the threat posed by bullying and abuse, Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom is warning.

In a speech yesterday Ms Leadsom identified a coarsening of political debate over the past two years, with aggression and intolerance on the rise.

This was reflected in the “battleground” of social media, the abuse of election candidates, the wave of Westminster sexual harassment allegations and the increased evidence of anti-Semitism in public life, she said.

Ms Leadsom led a crossparty inquiry into harassment and bullying in Parliament which recommended a new complaints procedure and an investigations independent of parties.