Commons Leaders Rebuke Zia Yusuf Over Reform Concerns

Commons bosses have hit back at Zia Yusuf after he claimed they do not “care at all” about Reform MPs’ safety.

The party’s home affairs spokesman also pointed the finger at the government and the police following the death of Ann Widdecombe.

The former Tory minister, who was a Reform spokeswoman, was found dead at her home in Devon on Thursday.

A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

It has since emerged that Reform UK are paying for round-the-clock security for their MPs.

In a post on X, Yusuf said: “The state is providing no protection whatsoever. In fact, based on what I have seen in the last 48 hours, none of the government, the Speaker nor the police care at all about the security of Reform MPs.

“Several of our MPs have written to the above in recent months about distressing, escalating security concerns, asking for help. Their correspondence was not even replied to. I will let you draw your own conclusions from this.”

But a House of Commons spokesperson hit back at Yusuf by insisting “all MPs are offered appropriate security measures”.

He said: “The ability of members and their staff to perform their parliamentary duties safely, both on and off the estate, is fundamental to our democracy.

“Any assessment of an individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice is subject to a rigorous risk-based assessment, conducted by security professionals and with input from the police and a range of professional authorities. These are naturally kept under continuous review.

“All MPs are offered appropriate security measures but we do not comment on specific cases or details of those measures so as not to compromise the safety of MPs, parliamentary staff or members of the public.”

Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has previously said that MPs’ safety “keeps me awake at night”.

A cross-party Speakers’ Conference on MPs’ safety last year called for action across government, regulatory bodies, the media, and wider society to strengthen protections for MPs and election candidates.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.