MPs may get bodyguards due to risk of extremists wanting to harm them
Bodyguards may very well be supplied to guard MPs due to considerations about their security, Rishi Sunak has mentioned.
The PM prompt he was open to the thought after Tory MP Mike Freer introduced he’ll stand down on the subsequent election after a collection of dying threats and an arson assault on his constituency workplace.
Some MPs such because the PM, Defence Secretary, Home Secretary and Northern Ireland Secretary have already got safety officers as routine.
In an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Mr Sunak mentioned: “I was actually speaking to Mike just yesterday and it’s awful what he has had to endure – his office essentially being attacked and set on fire, the threats he has received – and everyone, regardless of the political party that they are a member of, gets into this because they believe in public service and they want to make a difference – and they should be able to do that without fearing for their personal safety.
“Now, really, the Houses of Parliament have put in place through the years extra issues to guard MPs and safety of their places of work, and at their houses, and that’s one thing that’s always being reviewed. ” He said it was necessary also to “have a look at the ideology that’s driving that form of behaviour and that is ensuring that we deal with it at its root”.
Mr Sunak added: “What we will not have is that form of extremist ideology festering in communities, on our streets, that leads folks to behave in that specific approach, and I feel that’s equally as necessary.” Asked if MPs having a security guard might be a “good thought”, he said “there could be an argument for that” but that it was a matter for the security services and police.
Mr Sunak said that he was “very fortunate” to have an “incredible team” of protection officers that keep him safe. “People may remember, people came and protested at my house which is obviously slightly unsettling,” he added. “And that is unnerving, because you know when your home is invaded in that way you feel very vulnerable. But it isn’t just about me, it actually goes to a broader thing, I want my two girls to grow up in a society that’s safe.
“I am quite focused on putting more police officers on the street, crucially giving them the tough powers they need to confiscate knives off people – which is really important – make sure we have things like CCTV and street lighting so you know girls like mine when they grow up and women can feel safe when they walk home at night. Again, that is the type of society… that I want us to have.”
