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Intimidation and threats to MPs are at unprecedented levels, according to the House of Commons Speaker.<\/p>\n
Alongside physical threats, parliamentarians are facing constant cyber-attacks from “foreign actors” trying to “disrupt” the work of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said.<\/p>\n
Sir Lindsay, who is responsible for MPs’ welfare, said improving security in the House of Commons was “the top priority” over the next five years.<\/p>\n
In his first interview since being re-elected as speaker, he told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour he had “never seen anything as bad” as the current level of intimidation against MPs. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Sir Lindsay saw the Commons descend into acrimony in February when he broke convention to permit a vote<\/a> on Labour’s Gaza ceasefire motion.<\/p>\n At the time, he said he had allowed the vote to protect MPs’ safety.<\/a><\/p>\n Asked about how he plans to protect MPs, he said: \u201cI\u2019ve got to be honest, the amount of intimidation and threats and the way it\u2019s carried out, is much greater than anybody can imagine.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople must be allowed to vote without intimidation.<\/p>\n \u201cDemocracy matters to me. That is a constant worry. If there\u2019s something that keeps me awake at night, it is the safety of MPs.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cCyber-attacks are continuous from foreign actors. The staff have been fantastic in fighting foreign actors trying to disrupt Parliament.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of this should happen, so I work very closely with all the agencies to make sure we are on top of our game.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The last parliament had a cloud of misconduct hanging over it with suspensions of MPs, lobbying scandals and bullying allegations.<\/p>\n Behaviour in Parliament also needs to improve, according to Sir Lindsay. <\/p>\n He sees this new parliament as a fresh start and all parties needed to “swing” behind efforts to improve standards to create a “better” and “nicer Parliament”. <\/p>\n “How we treat each other in Parliament is reflected by the public,” he said.<\/p>\n Asked about holding the government to account in light of Labour’s 172-seat majority, Sir Lindsay said he would “fall out” with Prime Minister Keir Starmer if key announcements bypassed Commons scrutiny.<\/p>\n He said he had been given an “assurance” that when the Commons is sitting “major announcements will be made on the floor of the House”.<\/p>\n Sir Lindsay won a landslide victory of his own, after being re-elected unopposed by MPs in the traditional speaker’s election at the start of the new parliament.<\/p>\n He promised to protect the rights of smaller parties, ensuring they get a fair chance to speak.<\/p>\n Sir Lindsay also signalled his support for Labour’s plans to modernise the Commons, forming a committee to review parliamentary procedures.<\/p>\n “Modernisation is good,” he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about keeping tradition, but moving into a modern way of delivering,” he added.<\/p>\n You can listen to Ben Wright’s interview with Sir Lindsay on Westminster Hour on Radio 4 at 22:00 on Sunday, or on <\/b>BBC Sounds<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n