30: Abuse, threats and violence

An increasing number of MPs have reported an increase in the level of personal abuse, threats and intimidation they have received in recent years. Some of them, including Mike Freer MP, have cited it as a reason for choosing to stand down from Parliament. Most seriously, we have seen in the last decade the brutal murder of two MPs, Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021, as they went about their constituency duties. Politics inevitably involves strong disagreements and passionately-held views, which are often expressed forcibly. How can we maintain a robust and lively political debate whilst reducing the amount of unacceptable abuse MPs and their staff receive? In this episode, Nigel speaks to the Chair of the Jo Cox Foundation, the former Labour Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, about the recent report of their Civility Commission, which examines many of these issues. Presented by Dr Nigel Fletcher Theme Music by Tom Hector Produced by the Centre for Opposition Studies