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Andy Burnham, who is expected to become British prime minister next week, said on Tuesday it is time for a serious review of security for MPs, after former lawmaker Ann Widdecombe was killed last week.
Her death is under investigation by counter-terrorism police, who said it was a targeted attack, and the incident has rekindled debate about lawmakers’ safety.
I do think we need now a serious review of MPs’ security
— Andy Burnham
Widdecombe, 78, was a former Conservative Party minister who stood down from parliament in 2010 and worked most recently as a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party.
“I do think we need now a serious review of MPs’ security. I certainly am prepared to do that ... we do have to deal with the reality of the situation we’re in,” Burnham told reporters.
“It’s easy to blame social media, but it feels like it’s having some impact in just building that kind of toxicity that’s around the political debate.”
Two serving British members of parliament have been murdered in the last decade.
Reuters
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