Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Simon Clarke and Brandon Lewis

Wednesday 6th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Brandon Lewis]

The hon. Gentleman makes a fair point. All of us in public life should call out such things when we see them. We must be clear about what is unacceptable and report it to the authorities where appropriate, so that people feel able to engage online in a proper and fair way without intimidation or abuse.

[Mr Simon Clarke (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Con)]

5. What steps he has taken to review how different tiers of Government work together.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Simon Clarke and Brandon Lewis

Wednesday 16th May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Simon Clarke (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Con)]

6. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of intimidation faced by people in public life.

[The Minister without Portfolio (Brandon Lewis)]

The trend of increased intimidation can seriously damage our democracy. That is why we will be consulting on recommendations made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life to undertake legislative changes, for example, to remove candidates’ addresses from ballot papers and create an electoral offence of intimidating candidates. An electoral offence will reflect our view that elections and candidates need to be better protected.

[Mr Clarke]

I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. He will be aware of incidents designed to intimidate people from being involved in public life, including a recent incident where a brick was thrown through a Conservative candidate’s window in Liverpool. Does he agree that it is vital that all involved in public life seek to encourage a culture of respect and tackle those who seek to intimidate people?

[Brandon Lewis]

Absolutely. My hon. Friend makes a very good point. That was a shocking incident, which I hope all of us on both sides of the House would find abhorrent. The candidate had her one-year-old daughter in the room when the brick was thrown. That is a salutary lesson to us all. Such conduct deters people from participating in politics. That is why we have to look at removing the requirement on local addresses, but we also need leadership from the top. That is why we have introduced a respect code, which I hope the Labour party will eventually follow.