Government tells police to crack down on protests at MPs’ homes after Gaza Commons furore
The home secretary has said the only thing that politicians should fear ‘is the ballot box’
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Your support makes all the difference.The home secretary has said police must crack down on mobs who intimidate MPs at their homes after the Commons speaker warned of “frightening” threats against politicians.
James Cleverly called for democracy to be defended, hours after Rishi Sunak said parliament should never bow to “extremists”.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle cited fears over MPs safety after he was accused of “hijacking” a debate on Gaza and ripping up parliamentary procedure to favour Labour.
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer’s homes have also been targeted by Just Stop Oil protesters.
The group’s leader Sarah Lunnon defended their right to protest outside the homes of MPs, saying on Radio 4’s Today programme that “people are no longer safe [from cold weather, hunger, flooding] in their homes, our politicians have a duty to protect us and they’re not doing it”.
Mr Cleverly hit back at her defence, calling it “nonsense”.
“Someone saying: ‘I’m standing outside someone’s private house in numbers, but we don’t seek to intimidate’, I’m sorry, that’s clearly nonsense,” he said.
“Where a mob of people are outside someone’s private residence, clearly with the intention of distorting their future votes, that is unacceptable and we expect the police to deal with it.”
The home secretary also said that though police already have the powers they need to stop protests outside MPs’ homes and offices, “we also want them to understand that they have our backing when they use those powers”.
“The only thing that politicians should fear is the ballot box,” he added.
MPs and peers from across parliament have raised concerns about the prospect of violence and threats in their job.
Former education secretary Baroness Morgan told Times Radio she quit parliament in 2019 in part because she “was getting far too used to dealing with the death threats”.
”I really thought that...after the 2019 election (and Brexit), if things have been a bit more resolved, then all this would fall away. And instead it seems to be getting obviously even worse.”
Labour MP for Huddersfield Barry Sheerman said he now “watches where he walks, doesn’t stand by the side of the Tube”, and “will alter my way of coming into the House” in fear for his own securty.
Mr Cleverly also attacked the projection onto Big Ben of the controversial pro-Palestine slogan “From the river to the sea” as ‘highly offensive’ – implying police should have stopped it.
The Commons speaker is facing continued pressure to step down after he selected a Labour amendment to an SNP motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Tory chief whip, Simon Hart, warned Sir Lindsay his actions would “unleash hell” as he heaped pressure on him in the hours before the Commons showdown, according to reports.
The speaker has apologised and offered an emergency debate on the SNP’s motion, explaining he was motivated by concern about the security and safety of MPs.
But 67 MPs – more than a tenth of the Commons – have signed a motion proposed by senior Conservative William Wragg expressing no confidence in Sir Lindsay.
But, in a sign that the government’s position is softening, Mr Cleverly firmly backed Sir Lindsay staying in post.
He told Sky News that he was “supportive” of the speaker and that he’s done a “fantastic job”.
Mr Cleverly said: “I think the speaker has done a fantastic job. I think he’s been a breath of fresh air compared with his predecessor. He made a mistake. He’s apologised for the mistake.”
He added: “My view is that I’m supportive of him.”
The home secretary also said politicians should not make decisions based on “fear or favour” but he was “conscious that there has been increased pressure” on parliamentarians.
He also said: “I’ve not had any specific threats brought to me, but we will stay constantly vigilant.
“But the point I would make is ultimately members of parliament and indeed elected officials through all layers of government have got to act without fear or favour.
“They need to be defended and we’re absolutely determined to do that.”
He added: “We should not be changing our procedures in response to threats or intimidation. That would indicate that the threats and the intimidation is working. That’s the opposite of the message that we want to send.”
He added people who make decisions in government are doing so based on “judgement and information” rather than fear.
Mr Sunak said on Thursday: “Parliament is an important place for us to have these debates. And just because some people may want to stifle that with intimidation or aggressive behaviour, we should not bend to that and change how parliament works.”
He added: “That’s a very slippery slope.”
Mr Cleverly said his opinion of Sir Lindsay was a “personal” view, because the selection of the speaker is “House business” rather than for government ministers to decide.
Some Conservatives have been reluctant to blame the speaker for Wednesday’s events, instead pointing the finger at Sir Keir.
Former home secretary Suella Braverman said the Labour leader had “bowed to the mob” and made a “grubby backroom deal”.
Writing in the Telegraph, she said: “The mask has slipped: in hock to the Islamists, he is responsible for one of the most shameful days of our democracy.
“By effectively taking the speaker hostage, he brought parliament into disrepute. This is the behaviour of tyrants. Just imagine what Starmer would do as prime minister.”
Appearing on Newsnight, former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox, also sought to blame Sir Keir, accusing him of a “surrender to tyranny and intolerance” by arguing that the speaker should break with precedent due to the risks to MPs’ safety.
Sir Keir denied threatening the speaker, insisting he “simply urged” him to have “the broadest possible debate” by putting a number of options in front of MPs.