Ministers urge police to make ‘robust’ use of powers over safety fears
Ministers have urged police forces to use “robust” measures to tackle protesters who “intimidate and harass” MPs over their stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
In a letter to chief constables, seen by Sky News, security minister Tom Tugendhat and policing minister Chris Philp said the demonstration outside the home of Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood was an example of “unacceptable” actions that risk having a “chilling effect on democracy”.
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More than 60 people, some holding Palestinian flags and leading chants, gathered at the Bournemouth East MP’s home last Monday.
Tobias Ellwood
The letter from the two ministers said: “The intimidation of democratically elected representatives is unacceptable.
“It’s important that our elected representatives are able to feel safe in their homes, free from fear and harassment.
“I’m strongly concerned about the chilling effect that undermining this could have on our political discourse, as well as on the willingness of prospective candidates to step forward and provide our communities with the representation they deserve.”
The letter acknowledged the “operational independence” of the police before listing the powers they can use to deal with protesters “robustly”.
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Protesters descend on MP’s home
It said that given this year will likely see a general election it is “all the more important that candidates, both locally and nationally, are free to make their arguments to our communities without fear”.
It added: “You have my full support in making robust use of all your powers to ensure that the security of our elected representatives is protected, and our democratic values upheld.”
The unusual intervention comes amid increasing concern about MPs’ safety.
This month Conservative MP Mike Freer announced he would quit parliament after a series of death threats and an arson attack on his office.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner also told Sky News she no longer goes out socially because she is scared of death threats and protest confrontation from those opposed to her party’s stance on the war.
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Angela Rayner ‘no longer goes out’
It follows the murders in recent years of MPs Jo Cox and Sir David Amess in their constituencies.
Speaking to The Telegraph, which first reported on the letter, Mr Tugendhat referenced the killing of Ms Cox eight years ago as he accused those who target politicians of “silencing democracy”.
He told the newspaper: “While I champion the right to protest and of course think it’s important that people have the right to express their views, everyone must have that right – not just loudmouth thugs who want to silence everybody else.”
Mr Ellwood separately wrote a piece for The Telegraph in which he warned of a growing trend of public servants facing “intimidation and threats”.
He said MPs “including myself, are now troubled by our ability to attract the next generation of talent”.
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The former defence minister and his family were not at home during the demonstration last week, after being warned by police to stay away.
He has said he doesn’t know why he was targeted given he has not taken a particularly strident pro-Israel view.
Protests have been held across the country in recent months to call for a ceasefire, as the death toll from the Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues to rise.
There have also been warnings of a growing volume of antisemitic incidents in the wake of the Hamas attacks on 7 October, amid heightened tensions over the conflict.
Mr Ellwood said: “Though this was the first pro-Palestinian targeting of an MP’s house, it is far from an isolated incident.
“Fellow MPs agree – we are witnessing a growing trend where public servants increasingly face intimidation and threats.”
The trial is part of Project Acacia, an initiative from the RBA exploring how digital money and tokenization could support financial markets in Australia.
Ex-Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry has defected to Reform, in the latest blow to the Conservatives.
The former MP for Rossendale and Darwen, who served as Northern Powerhouse minister under Boris Johnson and lost his seat last year, said he had defected to Nigel Farage’s party because the Tories had “lost their way”.
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Reform UK confirmed the defection to Sky News, which was first broken by The Sun.
Speaking to the paper, Sir Jake said Mr Farage’s party was the “last chance to pull Britain back from terminal decline”.
“Our streets are completely lawless,” he said.
“Migration is out of control. Taxes are going through the roof.
“And day after day, I hear from people in my community and beyond who say the same thing: ‘This isn’t the Britain I grew up in’.”
Sir Jake accused his former party of “abandoning the British people” but said he was not “giving up”.
“I’m staying. And I’m fighting.
“Fighting for the Britain I want my kids, and one day, my grandkids, to grow up in.”
Mr Farage welcomed what he said was “a very brave decision” by Sir Jake.
“His admission that the Conservative government he was part of broke the country is unprecedented and principled,” he added.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Reform support increasing the benefits bill by removing the two-child cap, and nationalising British industry. By contrast the Conservatives, under new leadership, will keep making the case for sound money, lower taxes and bringing the welfare bill under control.
“We wish Jake well in his new high spend, high tax party.”
Sir Jake’s defection to Reform comes just days after former Conservative cabinet minister David Jones joined Reform UK, which continues to lead in the polls.
Former Welsh secretary David Jones (R) alongside Tory MP Mark Francois. Pic: PA
Mr Jones, who was MP for Clwyd West from 2005 until standing down in 2024, said he had quit the Tories after “more than 50 years of continuous membership”.
Sir Jake was the MP Rossendale and Darwen in Lancashire between 2010 and 2024, when he was defeated by Labour’s Andy MacNae.
He held several ministerial posts including in the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Energy and Climate Change and the Cabinet Office.
Nigel Farage after winning the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.
Pic: Reuters
He was also chairman of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022, under Liz Truss.
Announcing his defection – which comes a year after the Tories suffered their worst ever election defeat – Sir Jake said “Britain was broken” and “the Conservative governments I was part of share the blame”.
“We now have a tax system that punishes hard work and ambition,” he said.
“Just this week, we saw record numbers of our brightest and best people leaving Britain because they can’t see a future here. At the same time, our benefits system is pulling in the world’s poor with no plan for integration and no control over who comes in.
“If you were deliberately trying to wreck the country, you’d be hard-pressed to do a better job than the last two decades of Labour and Tory rule.
“Millions of people, just like me, want a country they can be proud of again. The only way we get that is with Reform in government. That’s why I’ve resigned from the Conservative Party. I’m now backing Reform UK and working to make them the next party of government.”
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He added: “And with Nigel Farage leading Reform, we’ve got someone the country can actually trust. He doesn’t change his views to fit the mood of the day. And people respect that. So do I. That’s why I believe he should be our next prime minister.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Not content with taking advice from Liz Truss, Nigel Farage has now tempted her Tory Party chairman into his ranks.
“It’s clear Farage wants Liz Truss’s reckless economics, which crashed our economy and sent mortgages spiralling, to be Reform’s blueprint for Britain. It’s a recipe for disaster and working people would be left paying the price.”
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