Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has spoken of his fear that another MP will be murdered following the horrific deaths of Sir David Amess and Jo Cox. Sir Lindsay said the worry keeps him awake at night and that he himself has received sinister threats.
Conservative MP Sir David Amess, 69, was stabbed to death during a constituency meeting a year ago. Meanwhile Labour MP Jo Cox was killed in a gun and knife attack in 2016, when Sir Lindsay was Deputy Speaker and her party colleague.
Sir Lindsay, 65, told The Sunday Mirror: "I remember getting a call to tell me the tragic news Jo Cox had been murdered. Five years later I picked up the phone to hear that Sir David had been attacked while holding a surgery.
"The one thing that keeps me awake at night is the worry of having another phone call. I never want to have to pick up another call to say another Member of Parliament has been murdered."
Sir Lindsay has been MP for Chorley in Lancashire since 1997. He said security for politicians was reviewed "day in, day out".
"I always worry about the hate and the threats that have built up against staff," he said. "We also need to watch out for the nastiness of social media – the threats that come out there and the intimidation and the bullying."
He also said MPs should set an example. "I want a nicer, kinder Parliament because if we’re horrible and we shout and bawl each other down, don’t be shocked when the public copies it. It’s about us setting the right tone and standard and that’s what I try to do, even though it’s an uphill battle at times.
"We should set an example by showing respect and tolerance to each other. It’s absolutely crucial we stick together. We must not allow Jo Cox and David’s deaths to go in vain."
Sir Lindsay visited the scene of Sir David’s murder within hours in his role as Speaker. He said: "To see where he was murdered was so moving and it’ll be with me for ever. I still couldn’t take in that David had died and he’d done it serving the people.
"David was larger than life, a great character, full of humour and friendship. He always took the trouble to be there for people and support people."
