I have death threats on a regular basis, says Blackpool South MP Chris Webb

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb says he has received numerous death threats since winning the seat two years ago – including someone threatening to burn his house down.

The number of issues has become so marked that he has even had to bring in special security for certain situations.

The Labour MP says he accepts that there are constituents who will fundamentally disagree with his politics and want to debate this with him, but he says the sinister turn of events in public life is not acceptable.

The Blackpool-born father-of-one spoke about the threats while discussing how important it felt to be a local person, coming from the area he represents.

He said: “Being from this town is massive, it makes a big difference to me personally.

“People here know me, they know where I’m from, they know about my struggles as a working class person from this town, what I did before I was an MP. And I obviosuly know the town really well and it means a lot to me.

“We have one of the busiest constituency offices in the country.

“But it does come with challenges. I’ve had death threats to me and my family. Unfortunately I’ve become one of the top 10 MPs to receive regular threats to my life.

“I now need extra security because some people seem to think it’s acceptable to threaten me just for doing my job.

“The vast majority of these are from keyboard warriors who think they can say anything, but on a few occasions they’ve said it to my face. They are always surprised when I stand my ground.

“If they expect me to cower and to crawl away, well that’s not me.

“But politicians shouldn’t have to put up with this. We saw how far this can go with the terrible cases of Jo Cox and David Amess.

“People should not have to pay with their lives because they are trying to represent their communities.”

He was speaking just hours before news broke of a murder investigation into the death of former Conservative MP and Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe, 78, at her home in Dartmoor, Devon, on Thursday mornining.

Mr Webb partially blamed the rising threat to MPs on the misuse of social media, which has fuelled an increase in extremist views, predominantly on the Far Right but also, to a lesser degree, on the Far Left.

He said: “We need better guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Service, possibly even a change in the law.

“Not one that threatens our freedom of speech but one that presents a clear message and treats these issues with the seriousness they deserve

“When someone threatened to set fire to my house, nothing ended up being done about it.

“I do have one case going through the courts at the moment.

“So I have friends who regularly check to see if I’m OK. This just doesn’t impact me, it affects the circle around me, my family and my friends.

“And not just me. Politicians from across the board, including Nigel Farage, have been affected too.”

Mr Webb also says foreign powers – notably Russia and Iran, are using social media bots to stir up extremist views and division, aiming to undermine Britain’s democracy.

He said: “We’re living in a different world these days and we need to be aware of what’s really going on.”