A Cumbrian MP says he will review his safety procedures after the killing of one of his colleagues at a public surgery.
Sir David Amess, who was a Conservative MP for more than 35 years, was fatally stabbed at a regular meeting with his Southend West constituents on Friday.
A 25-year-old man is currently being held under the Terrorism Act.
Carlisle MP John Stevenson said that he didn’t know Sir David very well but that “in Parliament, everyone knows everyone”.
“First of all I was shocked, I didn’t expect something like that to happen,” said John.
“He was carrying out his normal activities as a Member of Parliament. It was shock and huge sadness for his family. His daughter just got married quite recently. It’s appalling, very sad for his family.”
John has himself received threats and abuse from the public.
“I have had a significant threat in the past and we have certain people who we have a degree of concern about, but generally speaking I have to say I am quite fortunate,” he said.
“It is not just me but my staff are vulnerable, we have people coming to the door. My concerns are for them as much as for myself.”
Shift in public attitude
The MP believes there has been a shift in public attitudes in recent years.
“I think people are less tolerant and people are less polite,” he said.
John believes social media is in some part responsible for the escalation of abuse in society in recent years.
“Obviously we can have differences of opinion, but you don’t have to make it personal,” he said.
“We got a lot of social media stuff (abuse), more low level. It is corrosive for society.”
It is when something is posted on social media and an individual doesn’t see the impact or consequences of their actions that they feel empowered to take the abuse to the next level, John said.
“Female MPs tend to get a lot more abuse and threats (than male MPs), which is appalling and shouldn’t happen but unfortunately it does,” said the MP.
John praised Sir David for his work in promoting animal welfare and his efforts to make Southend a city.
Incidents like this are concerning for John.
“The challenge for me personally is that I feel pretty safe, my main concern is for my wider family, that is where it becomes a very different issue,” he said.
“When your family becomes concerned it’s not fair for them.”
