Sunak pledges to tackle ‘mob rule’ as £31m package revealed to help protect MPs

MPs will have a dedicated police contact for safety issues as part of a £31m package to boost security, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claims there is a “growing consensus that mob rule is replacing democratic rule”.

Home Secretary James Cleverley said no MP should have to accept threats as “part of the job”, following fears some have been targeted by demonstrators demanding an end to fighting in Gaza.

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the home of Tory backbencher Tobias Ellwood earlier this month – with police warning his family to “stay away” as arriving could “antagonise” the situation.

It also comes after the House of Commons Speaker broke with precedent last week out of concern for MP safety during a vote related to the war in the Middle East.

Speaking at a roundtable with police on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said the fund would form part of a new “democratic policing protocol”, which would “provide clarity that protests at elected representatives’ homes should be treated as intimidatory”.

The prime minister said: “There is a growing consensus that mob rule is replacing democratic rule. And we’ve got to collectively, all of us, change that urgently.”

The announcement also includes a communities fund to support additional police patrols each week in England and Wales to help deal with “increased community tensions”.

Mr Sunak added: “I am going to do whatever it requires to protect our democracy and our values that we all hold dear.

“That is what the public expect. It is fundamental to our democratic system. And also it is vital for maintaining public confidence in the police.”

Speaking earlier, Mr Cleverly also said: “I take the safety and security of all members of the House with the utmost seriousness.

“None of us should have to accept that enduring hate crimes, harassment, or threats is part of the job.

“I will continue to work closely with my police counterparts to provide elected representatives with the support they need.”

The Home Office said the latest funding package will provide increased security provisions for MPs and significantly expand the support given under current policing arrangements for politicians.

The investment will be used to enhance police capabilities, increase private sector security provisions for those facing a higher risk and to expand cyber security advice to locally elected representatives.

It will also ensure all elected representatives and candidates have a dedicated, named police contact to liaise with on security matters, officials said.

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Tory MP and chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Caroline Nokes, backed the measures, telling Sky News: “I think democracy is worth sticking up for and members of parliament are a crucial part of that.

“It is important that colleagues are kept safe, and whatever mechanisms or means that are most appropriate for them are deployed.”

Detailing some of her own experiences, including a man “shouting right in my face” on the streets of London saying she “didn’t know anything about misogyny”, Ms Nokes said: “It’s important that we take precautions, that parliament takes precautions and that we are vigilant about our safety.”

And she said after the “appalling” protests outside Mr Ellwood’s home, as well as the “horrific” arson attack on Tory MP Mike Freer’s office, she wanted future candidates to know “they will be looked after”.

Ms Nokes added: “That’s what matters, is that we are vigilant, that we put in place measures that will be able to support us if required, and that we have the courage to draw a line in the sand and say, no, this sort of abuse is not acceptable. And in way too many instances, it crosses the line from rational debate into, to be quite frank, criminal activity.”

In the past eight years, two serving MPs – Labour’s Jo Cox and Conservative Sir David Amess – have been murdered.

On Tuesday, Mr Sunak rejected a suggestion that MPs should be able to speak and vote from their constituencies because of concerns about security at Westminster.

Downing Street said the prime minister believed it was “really important that we maintain parliament as a place for free debate and expression of views”.