MPs say death threats a daily reality in ‘increasing climate of abuse’

Jul 14, 2026 - 20:10

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MPs say death threats a daily reality in ‘increasing climate of abuse’

As Ann Widdecombe’s death raises concerns over security, politicians reveal extent of problem

Jess Phillips has received so many death threats she has to remind herself not to be blase. One night she received more than 600 rape threats. In 2019, a man forced his way into her office. The same year a white supremacist sent her a picture of Jo Cox, her friend and fellow Labour MP who was murdered in 2016, accompanied with the message: “I will have you dealt with.”

“This is not academic to me; it is something I face every day,” says the MP for Birmingham Yardley. “You learn to cope with it, but it does cause terrible anxiety. For me, I feel guilty about the people who work for me, my kids, my family.”