MP abuse: ‘My staff have to sit behind bulletproof glass’ says Welsh politician Fay Jones
A Welsh MP has revealed her staff are forced to sit behind bulletproof glass as a result of the abuse and death threats she receives.
Brecon & Radnorshire MP, Fay Jones, told S4C’s Y Byd ar Bedwar she once received a letter threatening to stab her in the neck as she shared her concerns for the safety of her staff and co-workers.
It comes as exclusive figures reveal the worryingly high number of Welsh politicians who said they have received abuse in their jobs.
“When we did get the death threat, it did arrive just before Christmas which wasn’t great timing because you’ve just got more time to think about these things.
"He sent me a few handwritten letters, and then the final one we got about me being stabbed on the left side of my neck, and that does really stick with me because you don’t forget an image like that…”
It comes as exclusive figures for Y Byd ar Bedwar show more than 80% of Welsh MPs and Senedd Members say they have felt threatened since being in office, while 43% have received a death threat.
The current affairs programme asked every Member of the Senedd and every Member of Parliament in Wales a series of questions relating to their experience of abuse in office.
Of those who responded, 96% said they’d received a threatening or abusive message via social media, email, telephone or face-to-face.
“There are plenty of people who worry about their safety, even more so as a result of what happened to Jo (Cox) and David (Amess), you know, all of us have experienced threats, all of us have have", Ms Jones added.
“It’s unbelievable to me that my staff have to sit behind bullet proof glass, it’s just mad.”
Jo Cox was killed exactly seven years ago this week after becoming the first MP to be murdered in office since 1990. The Labour politician for Batley and Spen was stabbed and shot dead by a far-right terrorist shortly before holding a surgery in June 2016.Sir David Amess, who was an MP for nearly 40 years, was stabbed during a constituency surgery in Essex on 15 October, 2021.
Figures also show £4.4 million was spent on the safety of MPs in Westminster last year.
An exclusive Freedom of Information request also revealed the cost of security for Members of the Senedd and their staff had increased by more than 1000% in the last three years from £17,540.77 in 2020/21 to £210,057.24 in 2022/23.
“I don't know how we've got to this point in public life where politicians are the lowest of the low. I mean, I know that there is an awful lot of work that politicians need to do, but we are just treated like public scum sometimes. I hate that bit of the job", the MP said.
Ms Jones has also been advised by Parliament's security and policing teams to make her constituency office in Llandrindod Wells safer by installing plastic UPVC frames to replace the “rotting wooden frames.”
However, renovation plans have been refused by Powys Council on conservation grounds.
“My concern is about keeping my staff safe,” explained the MP.“If we can’t have these extra measures, or security glass or the wood is weaker in any way, then ultimately the office will need to close. I want this to be an open access point for constituents, but if I can’t keep my staff secure we won’t be able to do that. “
“I just find it really frustrating that we’re still having to talk about this, and we haven’t been able to find somebody in the Local Authority or Planning Inspectorate who’s gone ‘yeah we see what you’re doing, we understand why you need to do something different’.”
A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: “The Planning Service attach considerable importance to the need to protect the personal safety of politicians and their staff. The Llandrindod Wells office lies within the Llandrindod Wells Conservation Area and as such, when making planning decisions, special attention needs to be given to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character and appearance of a conservation area."