Police investigating death threats targeting Remain-supporting Conservative MP Anna Soubry

The messages apparently threatened to replicate the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox

Anna Soubry has been an outspoken critic of Brexit (PA)

A Remain-supporting Conservative MP has received death threats apparently suggesting that she should be killed in the same manner as murdered Labour MP Jo Cox.

Police have launched an investigation into the messages sent to Anna Soubry, who has been an outspoken defender of Britain’s membership of the European Union.

Ms Soubry revealed a Twitter post calling for her to be “Jo Coxed” – a reference to the Remain-supporting MP murdered by a right-wing extremist in the run-up to the EU referendum.

She also said her constituency office had received a call threatening to harm her in the same way as the murdered Labour MP.

“Someone jo cox Anna sourby [sic] please,” the tweet read.

The message was posted by a social media user identifying as “Mike”. His account has been removed from the website.

A spokesperson for Nottingham Police said: “Nottinghamshire Police has been made aware of reports of threats being made against an individual on Twitter and take such reports seriously. As a result we have started an investigation.”

Ms Soubry told her local BBC Radio Nottinghamshire: “Somebody had rung the office on Wednesday and made a number of threats to harm me in the same way that Jo Cox was harmed... so we reported that.

“I reported it also to my local inspector... who has taken it seriously. Unfortunately, the Parliamentary Authorities did not advance it in the way they should have done.

“I was tweeting about the Richmond by-election, and I happened to see this request that I should be 'Jo Cox'd', in other words murdered.

“I have reported that again to the police and the Parliamentary Authorities also saw it and got on to me but I’m afraid it wasn’t taken as seriously as it should have been, but it is now.”

Ms Soubry received supportive messages on Twitter after she revealed the messages.