MPs must be free to speak and vote without fear of violence and abuse

Editorial: From protests outside their constituency homes to social media ‘pile-ons’, our elected representatives are facing increasing threat – and are in need of enhanced personal protection

Mike Freer in 2019: the office of the MP for Finchley and Golders Green appears to have been the subject of an arson attack (PA)

It is a sad necessity that members of parliament need the kind of enhanced personal protection that they are now to be offered. As the home secretary, James Cleverly, says, no politician should have to accept threats or harassment as “part of the job”. Yet they do, and, in the age of social media “pile-ons”, the abuse can be intense. Though there never was some golden age of genteel debate in the rumbustious world of politics, the time is right to guarantee that every member of parliament can speak and vote without fear of such consequences. Recent events in particular confirm that urgent need.

For some MPs, it has meant a rowdy mob surrounding their home. A group of activists protested outside the Dorset residence of Tory MP Tobias Ellwood – accusing him of being “complicit in genocide” and calling for him to demand “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire” in Gaza.

There is, of course, no policy difference that can justify such close-quarters intimidation. Yet it is not so unusual. Recently, Anneliese Dodds, chair of the Labour Party, was barracked in visceral terms in the street and, much more grievous, the office of Mike Freer, the justice minister and MP for Finchley and Golders Green, appears to have been the subject of an arson attack, most likely because of his opinions about Israel. He’s revealed he now wears a stab vest when attending public events.