Threats—from abusive emails to death threats on social media—have heightened concerns about MPs' safety after the murder of Ann Widdecombe. Joshua Kerry has been charged in the case, and Sir Robert Buckland, who is leading a review into the 2021 killing of MP David Amess, says protections must be reassessed. Some politicians urge full-time guards while others and security experts warn that heavy-handed measures could distance MPs from the public and that online abuse does not always predict physical attacks. The independent review will publish recommendations later this year.
MP Security Under Scrutiny After Ann Widdecombe's Murder
Adam Dance said MPs should be allocated a full-time security guard [House of Commons]
Threats in pubs, abusive emails and death threats on social media have become an unwelcome reality for some MPs in the West, prompting renewed calls for stronger protections so they can carry out constituency work safely.
Sir Robert Buckland, the former Swindon MP and ex-Justice Secretary who is leading an independent review into the 2021 murder of MP David Amess, told the BBC that the killing of Ann Widdecombe has sharpened the urgency of reassessing how MPs are protected.
Personal Threats and Rising Concern
Joshua Kerry, 28, has been charged with the murder of Widdecombe at her home in Devon. Her death has intensified pressure for a fresh look at MPs' security arrangements across parties and at local and national levels.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for a review of MP's following the death of Ann Widdecombe [PA Media]
Adam Dance, the Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, described how online hostility affects families: "My mum messages me because she sees death threats on Facebook. It's hard for my family to see that and put up with it." Dance also said someone stuffed a petrol-soaked rag into his car's exhaust soon after he was elected in 2024, an incident that left him shaken.
Conservative councillor Laura Mayes, who represents Bromham, Rowde & Roundway in Wiltshire, says she regularly receives abusive emails and hostile online comments. "It is intimidating and it is threatening. People forget how that feels; there is a human behind the role," she said, adding that such hostility might have deterred her from entering politics two decades ago.
The Security Debate
Most MPs can currently request police protection for particular events or public meetings, but some politicians are pushing for more permanent measures—such as full-time security guards—while others warn that round-the-clock protection would risk alienating representatives from their communities and alter the nature of democratic engagement.
Laura Mayes has received threats during her time as a councillor [BBC]
"Westminster is like an armed camp, you're safe there; when you step out in a constituency surgery or visit, you could be vulnerable," Buckland said, stressing the need for balance between safety and accessibility.
Buckland has argued that mandatory, bodyguard-style protection for all MPs would be disproportionate. "If we go for full-throated body-guarded protection, they've won," he said, calling instead for targeted measures and better support for MPs in their constituencies.
Police Response and Expert View
Police forces are being offered additional support to investigate crimes against MPs; reported incidents topped more than 1,000 last year. Philip Grindell, CEO of Defuse Global, which advised Operation Bridger (the nationwide police protection programme set up after Jo Cox's murder in 2016), warned that while abusive communications are rising, the likelihood of a physical attack remains relatively low.
"You cannot conflate one with the other. Just because you get lots of threats online doesn't mean you're going to be under threat physically," Grindell said, urging MPs to adopt appointment-only surgeries and to report threats promptly to police.
Some MPs decline to disclose security arrangements for fear of increasing their vulnerability. Buckland also urged a return to more respectful political debate, praising Widdecombe as "vigorous in debate but unfailingly courteous." His independent review is expected to publish recommendations later this year.
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