Theresa May vows to ‘stamp out’ bullying and harassment of MPs after tales of horrific abuse during election continues
THERESA MAY today vowed to “stamp out” the bullying and harassment of MPs of all sides as a red purge of Labour moderates sickened Westminster.
The PM demanded Jeremy Corbyn do more to “stand up” to bullies after hard-left Momentum activists intensified their abuse of Labour moderate MPs.
Speaking at the G20 in Germany, the PM condemned intimidation which saw several of her own side suffering unprecedented verbal and physical abuse in one of the most hostile General Election campaigns for years.
She said she was “absolutely shocked” at the number of colleagues who had spoken to her about bullying during the bitter campaign.
No10 said a range of ways to crack down on the intimidation were under “active consideration” but “nothing concrete” had yet been decided.
Mrs May is determined to tackle physical and online threats. The PM has promised her MPs she will “act quickly on this”.
Last week Tory MP Sheryll Murray stunned the Commons by revealing had “swastikas carved into posters” and someone had even “urinated on my office door”. Posters carried messages such as “burn the witch”.
Senior Tory MP Sarah Wollaston also revealed she had been targeted with graffiti and posters “designed to intimidate” and “force me out of town”.
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And earlier this week the widely respected Labour MP Luciana Berger was subjected to a torrent of abuse by Corbynistas who took over her local Labour party in Liverpool. The MP – on maternity leave – was told she would now be “answerable” to the hard-left activists.
Pledging a tough crackdown, Mrs May said: "I've been absolutely shocked at the number of colleagues who have talked to me about intimidation and harassment, about bullying during the election campaign.
"There can be no place in our democracy for behaviour like that.
I'm determined to do something about it. I'm determined to stamp it out.
"I would say to do that we need all party leaders to condemn this bullying, harassment and intimidation.
"We can have none of this in our democracy and we need to act to stamp it out."
The PM is determined to get all parties involved in the fight against bullies - including in Scotland where cybernats sent a torrent of abuse to unionists during the independence referendum.
A senior government source said: “She’s been clear that it requires political leaders from all parties to stand up against this and it’s not something that is unique to a right-left spectrum.
Earlier this week 49 Labour MPs appeared on a deselection ‘hitlist’ by activists signed up to Momentum – Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘standing army’.
The MPs include Stella Creasy, Ben Bradshaw, Chris Bryant, Chuka Umunna and Wes Streeting.
In the note, Momentum South Tyneside said: “This list is by no means comprehensive, there are a lot more so-called Labour MPs who would happily go back into comfortable opposition rather than fight the system and represent youngsters who back Corbyn.”