Speaker warns that abuse and threats are undermining democracy

The scale of abuse, threats and intimidation facing MPs is undermining the health of democracy, a cross-party inquiry has found.

A survey by the Speaker’s Conference revealed about half of MPs said threatening behaviour had caused anxiety or depression (49%), with a similar share feeling unsafe as a result (52%).

The inquiry concluded that electoral law is “not fit for purpose” in relation to tackling abuse of political candidates in elections and called for a Government review to assess security and electoral integrity.

This phase of the Conference was established in 2024 to help ensure that elections to Parliament are conducted freely and fairly, without threats or violence.

It also seeks to enable candidates to campaign safely and support elected representatives to do their job securely.

Privilege

Commenting on the findings, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Commons Speaker and chairman of the Speaker’s Conference, said: “Participating in free and fair democratic processes – as a candidate or a Member of Parliament – is a privilege, and we expect that to come with robust political discourse and debate.

“But abuse, threats and intimidation should never be part of this job. It threatens the health of our democracy, and forces people to choose between the public good and their own safety and wellbeing.

“I am grateful to members, their staff and the witnesses we have heard from to date for sharing their experiences with us and look forward to working with colleagues on the next phase of the Conference’s work.”

In other findings, 96% of MPs and 69% of their staff members indicated that they had experienced some form of abuse in their role.

Hesitated

One in five MPs said they had “hesitated” about debating or voting on an issue because of the abuse they expected to receive, while 29% said they had considered not standing for re-election for the same reason.

The survey also found that 17% of MPs had considered resigning from public office due to concerns over threatening behaviour and their personal security.

Many staff who responded to the survey said the abuse they or their MP had received had caused them to feel anxious or depressed (42%), or unsafe (48%).

In a series of recommendations, the committee said: “Currently electoral law is not fit for purpose when it comes to tackling harassment, abuse and intimidation of candidates.

“The Government should undertake a full review of electoral law, including identifying practices or processes that unintentionally undermine security or electoral integrity.”

The recommendations “as a minimum” include the removal of the option for home addresses to be published as part of the nomination process for candidates.

The MPs also called for the Government to work with the electoral commission “to review the adequacy of nomination requirements in protecting elections from candidates seeking to mislead the electorate or undermine the integrity of the democratic process”.

Review

The report called for a review to ensure section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, which aims to prevent false statements regarding candidates’ character and conduct, is enforceable and equipped to keep pace with developments in technology such as AI and deepfakes.

The report said the Speaker will work with political parties in Parliament and the Electoral Commission to establish a code of conduct for all candidates, MPs and parties, including a collectively agreed set of “principles to guide behaviours and language when campaigning”.

However, the committee concluded that further security measures “would lead to a fundamental and undesirable change in the way MPs carry out their roles and engage with their constituents”.

It added: “The focus must instead be on encouraging appropriate uptake and effective delivery of existing measures… and reducing the level of threat posed to MPs and candidates, which will be at the centre of the Conference’s second phase of work.”