Former home secretary Suella Braverman has told the BBC she still has the 24-hour personal protection she was given while in government because of the threats and harassment she receives. On a recent trip to a supermarket, she said people called her “a genocidal bleep” in front of her children. The government announced a £31m budget for security for politicians in February.
The extra money follows the murder of MPs Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021. For the first time, all election candidates now have access to panic alarms and a named police contact to liaise with on security matters.
All requests for help are assessed by the Home Office within 24 hours, according to government sources.
It comes as there is a growing sense of fear among politicians about violent attacks. Ms Braverman told the BBC the incident at the supermarket was “aggressive, abusive and intimidatory and harassing” and she was followed to the checkouts. It’s obviously about the issue to do with Israel and Hamas. And a couple of people came very close up to me. They said ‘Hey, this is Suella Braverman. You’re a genocidal bleep.
She said the people calling her names then phoned their friends to join in the abuse, but she was able to be insulated by her security and the situation was defused. Pro-Palestinian activists also found out where her husband worked and sent him abusive phone messages, she said.
Feeling passionate about an issue is no excuse for violence, she added “It’s not an excuse to tell someone you’re going to kill them or rape them or kill their child.” It’s also “incredibly offensive” to suggest that she’s brought this kind of abuse on herself by being outspoken, she said. I’ve never incited violence. I’ve never threatened to attack anybody. I’ve never encouraged anybody to be violent. I have set out very legitimate views, about political issues because I’m a politician and it’s my job to do so
Source: BBC
