Does Nigel Farage, as leader of Reform UK, need more protection than the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch? Should the police have to guard members of the Scottish, Northern Ireland and Welsh parliaments as well as those in Westminster? What about councillors? And retired MPs? Or significant public figures who are yet to be elected? Their families?
The killing of Ann Widdecombe and the arrest of a man for suspicion of murder, and for suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, has raised some difficult questions for Britain and its politicians. Potentially, there have been three assassinations of MPs or former MPs in the last decade, and while Britain is no stranger to political violence and public disorder, the 21st century has felt less stable and secure. There is much at stake for those concerned and for the functions of democracy.
