Politically motivated assassinations are not a regular feature of our society, but they are something that we are aware of occurring. In the UK, we have seen one Prime Minister assassinated in the 19th century, but there have been more cases of MPs and other political figures being murdered, particularly in recent years, indicating the polarising and violent changes occurring within British society.
Britain has not been inexperienced with political movements leading to violent attacks resulting in the deaths of MPs, which is evident with the loss of multiple MPs with IRA attacks that were a feature of the latter half of the 20th century. But there has been an increase in individuals, seemingly acting alone, attacking and subsequently killing British politicians.
We have witnessed the murders of Jo Cox, a Labour MP in 2016, and Sir David Amess, a Conservative MP in 2021. Cox was shot and stabbed before holding a surgery in her constituency. Amess was stabbed whilst also in a surgery meeting in his constituency. These attacks happened in daylight with several witnesses, which is not conducive for creating trust in the safety measures that are in place for MPs and demonstrates the lack of effectiveness of the security that is in place, which falls to the local police when MPs are in their constituencies.
Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative cabinet member and Reform UK supporter, died in July this year in her own home in Devon. Her death and injuries are still under investigation by the Counter Terrorism Policing unit. It has implanted fear in other politicians that they are unsafe even in their own homes, with Nadine Dories writing in the Daily Mail that she is now fearful and will be going back to London for safety in numbers. Zac Polanski has also requested security measures as a leader of a party but is not in Parliament, which means that he does not receive the standard security measures given to MPs. This poses the question of the security that is in place for political figures that are not in Parliament, as it is evident that the security threat is not limited to current MPs.
It has become increasingly clear that there must be increased security measures for politicians in order to prevent these horrendous deaths and attacks from happening and polarising British society even further.
It is not uncommon for political figures to receive threats from those that disagree with their political views. Penny Mordaunt, a former Conservative MP, opened up about her experience with receiving over 700 death and rape threats along with threats to her family, even after losing her seat in the 2024 General Election. Whilst these disgusting threats are often not acted on, the fact that these thoughts actively cross people’s minds and they are willing to inform others about them is majorly concerning and demonstrates the polarisation and violent nature of British society currently. Widdecombe also received numerous threats and was open about disposing of them, which shows the ongoing security risk she experienced despite not taking them seriously.
Comments regarding threats to politicians are also being broadcast on social media, along with people’s reactions to Widdecombe’s death. A member of staff at the University of Aberdeen has been charged and arrested due to her comments celebrating Widdecombe’s passing. This further demonstrates the polarisation of society and the lack of empathy that people have and how willing people are to put these views onto social media.
With British political figures being so brutally murdered in recent years, it poses the question regarding the amount of protection that MPs, and now ex-MPs, receive. Jo Cox and Sir David Amess’ murders were a result of extreme views that vehemently contrasted those of Cox and Amess. With more MPs and political figures fearing for theirs and their families’ safety, it is more evident than ever how polarised our society has become and the extremes that people are willing to go to express their views, whether encouraged by a wider movement or individually motivated.
The question surrounding the level of security required for politicians comes at a fitting time, as Nigel Farage is currently under scrutiny regarding a £5 million gift that he has claimed was to be used for his personal security. Farage’s monetary gifts is a separate story, so I won’t go into it here. With politicians outsourcing security and, supposedly, being given money to go towards it, it emphasises the increasing threat and fear that is felt by political figures and indicates that the security already in place by the state is inadequate in today’s polarised society.
I believe that the state needs to provide a higher level of security for MPs and other political figures to counter these violent attacks, which should not detract from the importance of having a police presence for ordinary people. Thus, it indicates that other security services should be employed to ensure that the police force is not stretched across too many areas for their numbers.
With the increasing violence towards political figures, it is obvious that more security measures need to be put in place to ensure the safety of elected politicians whilst in office and once they have left as it is clear that the threat is not going anywhere.
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