MPs have been warned to be more “wary” of using their phones near Parliament after a spate of reported thefts.
In a letter sent to Labour MPs, the party’s whips urged Parliamentarians to be careful when using their phones in Westminster, PoliticsHome reported.
The letter sent on Tuesday stated: “Colleagues should be aware that a number of MPs have had their phones snatched within the vicinity of the estate. Colleagues are reminded to be wary when not on the estate.”
It comes after a Labour MP was attacked and mugged by a gang of bike-riding phone thieves while returning to his London flat last week.
Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South, said he was targeted by around five or six young people who stole his phone, as he returned to his flat in the capital from work.
“At 10pm last night, as I was returning to my flat in London from work on foot, I was attacked and mugged by a group of five or six masked youths on bikes,” he said.
“They stole my phone but luckily I have no injuries and I am OK.”
He thanked the Met police for their response, adding: “The officers who assisted me went above and beyond and are a remarkable credit to the force.”
There were 66,528 phone thefts recorded in London between October last year and September this year - up 40 per cent compared to the previous year.
The Government has pledged to crack down on the crime after figures last month showed 78,000 people across the country had phones or bags stolen from them in “snatch thefts” in the year to March 2024 - a sharp rise of 153 per cent compared to the 31,000 such thefts in the previous 12 months.
