Our democratic process is something to be proud of. One party loses power, another gains it – it is smooth and peaceful.
But there is no doubt the General Election saw a new level of intimidation and threats.
At hustings and even at counts, candidates and volunteers were targeted. It was very difficult for some to engage in free debate.
The beauty of our system is that MPs are part of their communities.
But we must ensure it's safe for people to stand.
As a candidate in Tuesday's [23 July] election to be Deputy Speaker in the Commons, my priority is to help MPs defend hard-won freedoms and conventions that enable Parliament to do its job.
This grave task requires constant diligence.
Many MPs have suffered severe harassment for years, and some are no longer with us.
In one of my first MP surgeries, a constituent turned up with a spent bullet cartridge.
He showed me it, and wanted to make it clear he was not happy I had been elected as his MP, being an Asian woman.
The implicit threat was 'this is what I could do next time'.
If we do nothing, measured voices will be drowned out, and we'll hear only the noisiest people, who'll never solve a problem.
Particularly worrying is how female candidates, campaigners and activists are targeted more.
There is no doubt that there are people who are misogynistic and aggressive, who simply do not want women in these spaces.
That is their aim and they are willing to use threats of violence to achieve it.
Last weekend, the Speaker said that MPs' safety keeps him awake at night and that members' security is his priority for the next five years.
The fact is that this issue will only grow.
We MPs have to become more relevant, more accessible – to restore the public's faith in our democracy. Too much is at stake not to.
Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, writing for The Mail on Sunday, 20 July 2024.
The original article is available here.
