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Louise Thomas
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The speaker of the House of Commons has warned that the safety of MPs keeps him “awake at night”, more than two years after an MP was murdered.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle said threats and intimidation towards parliamentarians were currently at such a level that he had “never seen anything as bad”.
The security of MPs was tightened after Sir David Amess was stabbed more than 20 times during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex on 15 October 2021.
Ali Harbi Ali was later convicted of his murder but at his trial it emerged that he had also planned attacks on other MPs, including cabinet minister Michael Gove, who he believed was “a harm to Muslims”.
Sir David’s murder was the second in five years, after Jo Cox was killed in her constituency in 2016.
Sir Lindsay came under fire in February for appearing to favour Labour during a debate about a ceasefire in Gaza.
He later apologised and said he had made a mistake but that he had been acting with good intentions after threats were made against MPs.
In his first interview after he was re-elected speaker this week, Sir Lindsay said: “I’ve got to be honest, the amount of intimidation and threats and the way it’s carried out, is much greater than anybody can imagine.
“We had MPs threatened, intimidated – I’ve never seen anything as bad.
“People must be allowed to vote without intimidation.
“Democracy matters to me. That is a constant worry. If there’s something that keeps me awake at night, it is the safety of MPs.”
In the wide-raging interview he also said security was his biggest issue, including preventing cyber-attacks by foreign actors trying to disrupt Parliament.
And he warned Keir Starmer to make major announcements to the Commons before the media, “otherwise we’ll have a fall-out”.
He also vowed to protect smaller parties “making sure they all have a voice”.
He added: “But also there is a question for the House, and that’s why I say I want a nicer Parliament.
“Show tolerance, show respect to somebody else’s view, because how we treat each other is usually reflected by the public out there.
“So it is about the public respecting MPs who put themselves forward, but we have to respect each other as well.”
On other security concerns, he described cyber attacks from foreign actors as “continuous”, adding “security is the biggest issue I’ve got to try to deliver on.”
