The death of Sir David Amess was a tragic killing that should never have happened.

It also made me realise that the closure of my office last year was the best thing I could have done for the safety of my staff and myself.  

There was so much going through my mind at that time, notably the racist threats I was receiving daily. I tried so hard to work extensively with police and security staff to simply try to create a safe working environment for my employees, but in July last year it became clear that was no longer possible.   

The permanent closure of my office came with comments from some outside of my party who claimed the problem didn’t exist, forcing me to reveal more abuse than I normally would have done.

When it comes to the safety of our politicians and democracy, abuse should never be used as a political football. I was proud of my office and closing it was not an easy thing to do.   

In the years that I was there since 2015, I’d made it a cosy space so the constituents who attended felt valued. We sometimes had people queuing outside because we were so busy.  

As much as I wanted to stay open for the people of Brent, having known MPs stabbed while holding surgeries, I had no choice but to make this decision.  

While Sir David Amess is the most recent victim of this violence, my dear friend Jo Cox was stabbed and murdered the day after we had a party at her place. In 2010, Labour MP Stephen Timms was stabbed twice by a radicalised student, and in 2000, Lib Dem Nigel Jones was wounded, and his aide Andrew Pennington was tragically killed.  

The truth is, I probably should have closed my office earlier, when a traumatised member of my team bought himself a stab vest and stab-proof gloves. 

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I still haven’t spoken about all of the abuse that I face every single day because not only do I not want to paint my constituents that way – though most of the perpetrators are not constituents of mine – I don’t want to encourage copycat violence.  

I feel safe in Brent as local people know me and if anybody was to even raise their voice to me on the street, there would be somebody stepping in within minutes. I also have a very good relationship with my local police service.   

But it is a sad reality that threats, abuse, racism and even physical attacks are daily occurrences for MPs. 

The latest incidents mean that we are forced to talk about it more, whether or not we want to, so the police and security services can better understand the threat and things can hopefully change for the better.  

On one occasion, someone turned up to my office with a golf club while demanding to ‘speak to me’. My terrified staff member bravely managed to force him out of the door as he tried to push his way in. I dread to think what could have happened that day if he wasn’t removed.   

A person assaulted me on a train and was convicted and sent to prison. This still leaves me concerned when travelling to work.  

A few years ago, I received threatening phone calls at 3am and 5am. I’ve also received disturbing threats telling me: ‘In the old days, your head would be on a spike’ and ‘Come the revolution, you’ll be first’.  

In an incident that understandably worried my staff, a brick was once thrown through my office window.   

There are also many recent disturbances in which individuals have been charged by the police and await trial, of which I cannot go into detail. But it’s a deeply concerning state of affairs and the episodes are escalating at an alarming rate.  

I must thank the police – especially in Brent – who have supported me and my office during these many challenges.   

So, when I first heard the devastating news about Sir David Amess dying, I remembered moments like the attack on the train and the threats to my office like it was yesterday.  

The news was chilling for a lot of MPs. One MP told me that she had written her will and made notes of her funeral arrangements in case her family would need to know.  

Another MP recalled, like me, she had not been able to sleep for days. When I asked her if it has been since the brutal killing of Sir David, she seemed shocked and said yes, and asked if I thought that was a factor. I said yes it was – as much as we try not to think of it, it will be playing on all of our minds.  

A male MP told me that he was worried for female MPs in particular.  

So, Parliament will need to do better in stepping up security on politicians; it is never a waste of money to protect our politicians and our democracy. We need to be safe, not just in the buildings of Westminster, but out and about too. For example, I think that MPs often live close to each other so we could organise shared journeys.  

Absolutely nobody, regardless of their profession or political views, should be at risk of violence for simply doing their job. Any frontline workers, including doctors and nurses, need protecting.  

Alongside overt security, social media companies need to take responsibility for the hate amplified on their platforms. 

We must keep our democracy alive by learning to disagree with each other – without resorting to violence or threats.

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