Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safety of political campaigners when out campaigning.

The abuse and intimidation of those engaging in political campaigning is completely unacceptable. The Government takes the security and integrity of elections, and those participating in elections, very seriously. We have coordinated structures in place to support the secure delivery of democratic events. The police lead on local security incidents, and reported incidents will be addressed by the relevant authorities as appropriate.

There is a range of security advice provided on GOV.UK to support the safety of those participating in elections. In a Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS833) on 9 March I set out a number of actions the Government is taking to tackle intimidation in public life. Amongst those actions, the Elections Bill will introduce a new electoral sanction which bans someone convicted of intimidating a political campaigner from standing for and holding elected office for five years.