Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are currently serving a prison sentence for attacking or threatening a Member of Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Any form of intimidation, harassment, or violence against people in public life is completely unacceptable. The majority of incidents targeting MPs involve malicious online communications. However, we know that MPs can face physical threats and that on occasion some have been attacked, with two tragically losing their lives in the last decade. That someone should lose their life in an attack is horrendous and sickening – such incidents are an attack on democracy itself. The Government’s priority is the safety and security of the UK and those who live here.

Information on convictions and sentencing outcomes (including prisons data) for (a) attacking and (b) threatening a Member of Parliament is not recorded in a way that is easily identifiable. A wide range of criminal offences may apply, and access to individual court / prisoner records would be required to identify individual cases involving relevant offences and whether the victim was a Member of Parliament.

The Ministry of Justice has published information on convictions and immediate custodial sentences for broader offences, up to December 2020, available in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ data tool at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987715/outcomes-by-offence-2020.xlsx

Published information on numbers of people currently serving a prison sentence for broader offences, up to 30 June 2021, is available in table A1.5i, at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1006270/Population_30June2021_Annual.ods