Death threats against pro-EU British MPs ‘becoming routine’ in toxic Brexit debate
Conservative MP Anna Soubry, who received her latest death threat on Monday, said one colleague was guarded by six undercover police, while another decided not to oppose a Brexit bill for fear of reprisals
As a crucial Brexit battle comes to a head in British parliament on Wednesday, MPs are weighing up not just their own views but also their personal safety amid an increasingly toxic public debate.
Pro-EU lawmakers challenging the government’s Brexit strategy have received repeated death threats, and at least one MP recently decided not to rebel on a bill for fear of reprisals.
One member of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party is under such threat that they had to be accompanied by six armed undercover police officers at a public engagement, according to colleague Anna Soubry.
A leader of the pro-EU Conservative faction, Soubry herself has faced numerous death threats and on Monday had to call in police to investigate a new one.
However, she said the intimidation only strengthened her resolve to vote against the government on Wednesday, when MPs vote on plans in the EU (Withdrawal) Bill to give parliament a greater say in the final Brexit deal.
“Death threats becoming routine & making many of us more resolute #StandingFirm #MeaningfulVote,” Soubry tweeted on the eve of the vote.
