Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of protests being undertaken (1) within the curtilage of the private property of elected representatives' family homes, and (2) within or on top of elected representatives' family homes; and whether they consider those protests to amount to intimidation.

The Government has been clear: harassment and intimidation of elected representatives is never acceptable. Such behaviour undermines our democracy and discourages public engagement.

As Chair of the Defending Democracy Taskforce, the Security Minister is clear – as set out in the Defending Democracy Policing Protocol - that protesting at the homes of elected representatives is unacceptable and should be treated as harassment by the police. The Security Minister has also written to Chief Constables recently, encouraging them to use all powers available to them to tackle the harassment and intimidation of elected representatives.

Under the Taskforce’s renewed mandate, we are reviewing how to strengthen protections and close any legislative gaps, including in the context of protecting public office holders in their private homes. Measures such as the new aggravating factor proposed in the recently published Elections Strategy will provide clearer consequences for behaviour that crosses the line into abuse. The Government also welcomes the important work of the Speaker’s Conference and looks forward to its final recommendations.