MPs Under Threat

Channel 4

23 May

Newly-elected MP Kim Leadbeater – the sister of Jo Cox, who was killed outside her constituency surgery in 2016 – investigates the shocking level of threats and abuse now faced by politicians.

Do they feel safe to do their jobs? And what does this mean for the people they represent?

Kim had hoped that her sister’s death was an isolated incident. But in October 2021 another MP, Sir David Amess, was stabbed to death while holding his constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.

His death triggered renewed discussion around the safety of MPs, and prompted Kim – a new MP who had only been elected three-and-a-half months earlier – to look with a fresh pair of eyes at the abuse and anger being directed at politicians in the UK.

In this Channel 4 Dispatches, Kim explores the unprecedented levels of abuse MPs experience. Dispatches reveals new data on the scale of the problem, and powerful, emotional testimony from those who have been on the receiving end.

Kim speaks to cross-party MPs Jess Phillips, Naz Shah and Peter Bone about their experiences, and in specially-recorded video diaries MPs Debbie Abrahams, Chris Bryant, Shailesh Vara and Caroline Nokes speak candidly about the online and in-person threats they face.

Kim also hears from former MP and cabinet minister Baroness Nicky Morgan, about the abuse she faced during the Brexit period, and in a highly-emotional interview, Heidi Allen describes how she felt she had to leave politics to protect herself due to a constant barrage of threats.

But Kim is all too aware that it is staff who are often on the frontline of the abuse directed at politicians. Her parliamentary assistant Omar Sharif, and Diane Abbott’s chief of staff Nimo, explain the realities of managing the emails, post and social media messages that comes in – and the toll this can take.

Is enough being done to protect our MPs, both online and offline? Is the largely unregulated spreading of hate, and the climate of fear it creates, affecting our democracy? And what does this say about the state of politics – and society – in the UK?

Kim Leadbeater – “MPs and people in public life want to feel safe. But like Jo and Sir David, we also want to be accessible. We must work hard to strike a balance between safety and protecting the democratic values we hold so dear.”

RUNTIME:
26 Minutes

PRODUCER:
Sally Wardle
Rachel Cumella

DIRECTOR:
Rachel Cumella

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Brian Woods

RELEASED:
2022