Public officer holder, including Members of Parliament, peers, and local councillors, will be better protected from harassment and intimidation under a new law to restrict protests outside their homes.
Under changes set out in the Crime and Policing Bill, the police will be given strengthened powers to stop this form of intimidation and abuse, and help clamp down on toxic behaviour in UK politics. This includes a new criminal offence of protesting outside the home of someone in public office where their intention is to influence them in their role or an aspect of their private life, with perpetrators facing up to 6 months’ imprisonment.
This announcement follows a concerning rise in harassment of those in public office, with the Electoral Commission reporting that over half of the candidates who stood in last year’s general election experienced some form of abuse or intimidation.
A second survey – conducted by the Speaker of the House – found that almost all MPs (96%) had experienced at least one instance of harassment or intimidation which had a corrosive effect on their ability to do their jobs.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said:
The level of abuse faced by those taking part in British politics is truly shocking – it’s a threat to our democracy. People should be able to participate in our politics without fearing for their own or their family’s safety.
When good people choose not to put themselves forward, communities lose out and the country is poorer for it.
As Chair of the Defending Democracy Taskforce, I am leading work across government to drive out harassment and intimidation and strengthen our protections. This measure is a serious but necessary and proportionate step. Targeting public office holders at their homes crosses a line – it’s intimidation, not protest, and we’re putting a stop to it.
Will Fletcher, Interim CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation said:
We welcome measures to improve the safety and security of those in public office. Protesting outside someone’s home clearly poses serious safety concerns and can cause distress for the individual and their family.
Protest and robust debate are important to our democracy, and there are many ways that people can make their voices heard without crossing the line into intimidation at someone’s home.
Through the Jo Cox Civility Commission, we work with a range of partners to address abuse towards politicians, their staff and families, and promote more respectful politics in order to strengthen our democracy.
Samantha Dixon, Minister for Democracy, said:
Intimidation and abuse of any kind is unacceptable, and I’m determined to protect those in public office so we can encourage more people to get involved in democracy.
Alongside our new stronger sentences for those who intimidate campaigners, we are going further to defend democracy and restore trust in politics.
The new protection is a major step in tackling the unacceptable harassment and intimidation faced by many public office holders and their families, and is an immediate recommendation made by the government’s Defending Democracy Taskforce as part of its wide-ranging review into this issue.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce brings together a wide range of partners including government departments, the police, parliamentary authorities, and the Electoral Commission to look at how harassment and intimidation can be tackled head on.
The government is determined to ensure that no one is deterred from representing their community or country because of fear, and today’s announcement builds on strengthened protections for elected representatives already set out in the Strategy for Modern Elections.
This includes giving the courts greater powers to impose tougher sentences on those who threatened elected officials, and removes the final loophole which requires candidates who are seeking election to publish their home address when they don’t have an office address to use.
Together, these measures will ensure greater privacy and safety for those standing for public office.
These measures follow this year’s local elections in which dedicated police officers were in place in all forces across the country for the first time, offering security briefings to support local election candidates under Operation Ford. These Force Elected-Official Advisers (FEOAs) remain in place for locally elected representatives, such as councillors, metropolitan mayors, and Police and Crime Commissioners. Meanwhile, under Operation Bridger, a dedicated police contact continues to be provided to MPs when they are outside of the Parliamentary Estate.
