Police election advice shows the scale of the security threat facing politicians

Analysis: Intensified safety operation is welcome, but does not address the causes of rising anger and abuse, Lizzie Dearden writes

Friday 15 November 2019 21:21 GMT
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Public discourse has become increasingly toxic
Public discourse has become increasingly toxic

On Friday, thousands of general election candidates received a new document with their standard information back, confirming their registration.

The first-ever “joint guidance for candidates in elections” contains safety advice from police and prosecutors calling for would-be MPs not to canvass alone, to remove personal information from the internet, to seek security advice for their homes and workplaces.

The document is part of a beefed-up national security operation heading into the general election, seeing every police force in the UK hold briefings for candidates and feed intelligence reports to the National Police Chiefs’ Council in London.

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