UK PM Rishi Sunak has warned against rising toxicity in politics amid reports of members of Parliament facing security threats over their voting intentions in the House of Commons related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Taking to X(formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Sunak shared a statement on recent incidents of violence and intimidation in the country. In a reference to chaos in the Commons last week over a Gaza ceasefire vote, he captioned his post by writing, “In Parliament this week, a dangerous signal was sent that intimidation works. It is toxic for our society and our politics. It is an affront to the liberties and values we hold dear in Britain. Our democracy cannot and must not bend to the threat of violence and intimidation.”
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In his statement, Sunak said that legitimate protests were hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism. He also called out the verbal threats to elected representatives.
“Legitimate protests hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism, elected representatives verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted and antisemitic tropes beamed onto our own Parliament building,” Sunak said, with reference to an offensive projection on the Palace of Westminster recently.
“The explosion in prejudice and antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on the 7 October [2023] are as unacceptable as they are un-British. Simply put antisemitism is racism,” he added.
Threat to MPs in Britain
According to a recent ‘The Sunday Times’ report, UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat has been working with the Home Office, the police and the parliamentary authorities to significantly enhance the safety and security of MPs.
As part of the overhaul, the royal and VIP executive committee (RAVEC), which is responsible for the security of the royal family as well as senior politicians including the prime minister and home secretary, has been brought in to help assess the threat to MPs.
“Many MPs are petrified by the abuse they are facing,” a senior security source was quoted as saying.
Female MPs requiring additional security have been provided with close protection by private companies, along with chauffeur-driven cars, which are normally provided only to senior members of the Cabinet and the Leader of the Opposition.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)
