Cabinet minister Lucy Rigby has warned MPs face a “pretty horrific” and worsening climate of abuse and intimidation, after the death of ex Tory MP Ann Widdecombe
MPs face a “horrific” culture of violence which has become worse in recent years, a Cabinet minister warned. Treasury chief secretary Lucy Rigby said it was a “sad and troubling” reality that the threats facing politicians and other public figures had risen.
The alleged murder of ex-Tory minister Ann Widdecombe, 78, last week has sparked concerns at Westminster over security risks facing current and ex-MPs.
Rigby told the BBC: “There is just this increasing climate of abuse and intimidation, including via social media, and in the very worst cases extreme violence. I certainly wish that we didn’t live in a country where this was a fact of life.
“We need Members of Parliament, but everyone involved in public life, to be able to go about their work freely. This is key to living in a democracy.”
Widdecombe’s death follows the murders of Conservative MP Sir David Amess in 2021 and Labour’s Jo Cox in 2016. Rigby said MPs are now being offered beefed up security.
She added: “I think it’s really troubling – more than troubling, it’s pretty horrific, really – this increased culture of violence that affects those in public life. I know plenty of people of both genders, although they tend to be more women, who have thought to themselves – thought very hard – about standing for Parliament, or even standing to be a councillor for their local authority, because of threats of violence, violent threats involving people’s families.
“It’s horrific that we have to deal with this, but we do.” Meanwhile, senior figures in Reform UK complained about the level of security offered.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has offered its leader Nigel Farage a meeting with the head of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), the body handling security of high-profile figures. Reform’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said Farage’s state-funded security had been downgraded.
Widdecombe was killed in what police have described as a brutal and targeted attack at her home on Dartmoor. Counter terrorism detectives have now taken over the investigation under the Terrorism Act, examining whether the 78-year-old was targeted for ideological or political reasons.
Widdecombe was at home in Haytor Vale, Devon, on Wednesday July 8 when she carried out a string of media commitments. At 08:05 BST she appeared live on TalkTV from her house, defending Reform UK leader Nigel Farage over his finances.
At 12:10 BST she recorded a nine minute video interview with the Christian radio station TWR UK, believed to be her last public appearance. Minutes later, at 12:19 BST, she sent a final WhatsApp message to a Channel 5 producer confirming she had received a Zoom link for a scheduled 13:00 interview.
Police believe the attack happened at around 12:30 BST inside her home. From 12:48 BST onwards, the Channel 5 producer sent multiple messages and made three phone calls asking if she was okay, but there was no response.
On Thursday 9 July at 11:40 BST, after nearly 24 hours with no contact, ambulance crews attended the property and found Widdecombe dead. She had suffered catastrophic injuries described as brutal.
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