LABOUR MP Chuka Umunna has revealed he does not stand near the edge of London Underground platforms because he fears being thrown onto the tracks by a member of the public.
Mr Umunna spoke out after the Committee on Standards in Public Life, which advises the Prime Minister, called for a criminal offence of “intimidating parliamentary candidates and campaigners” after a rise in threats and abuse of candidates in elections.
It said social media firms must crackdown on some of the abuse meted out to politicians and political leaders must always 'call out' intimidatory behaviour.
Mr Umunna told BBC Radio 5 live that while the vast majority of people were friendly to him “I’m careful I do not stand anywhere near the edge of a Tube platform; I get worried sometimes that people are going to push me over."
He added: “There’s something about when you become an MP... you almost become de-humanised.
“And then of course it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because you’ll just end up with odd people in politics and politicians will be hated even more.”
In July Labour MP Diane Abbott gave a graphic account of how she had been subject to racist and sexist abuse.
During the run-up to the independence referendum in 2014, former MP Jim Murphy was attacked with an egg during a rally in Falkirk.
The report, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Theresa May, urges the government to legislate to shift liability for illegal content on to social media and other internet companies to tackle an “intensely hostile online environment”.
It says Facebook, Twitter and Google “are not simply platforms for the content that others post” because they play a role in shaping what users see, and so “must take more responsibility for illegal material”.
But Brexit might provide an opportunity for the government to take action - because social-media companies are not currently liable “largely” due to a European Union directive that treats them as “hosts” of online content.
‘Vigorous democracy’ Committee chairman Lord Bew said: “This level of vile and threatening behaviour, albeit by a minority of people, against those standing for public office is unacceptable in a healthy democracy.
“We cannot get to a point where people are put off standing, retreat from debate, and even fear for their lives as a result of their engagement in politics.
“This is not about protecting elites or stifling debate, it is about ensuring we have a vigorous democracy in which participants engage in a responsible way which recognises others’ rights to participate and to hold different points of view.”
A new criminal offence of intimidating candidates would “serve to highlight the seriousness of the issue” and act as a deterrent, the committee’s report says.
MPs reveal scale of abuse they face Election intimidation at ‘tipping point’ The committee says it is also concerned about the impact on the diversity of a British democracy and political parties have an “important responsibility” to support female, black and minority ethnic and gay candidates.
It also calls for legislation to remove the requirement for candidates standing as local councillors to have their home addresses published on ballot papers.
And it says traditional media outlets also have to think about how their coverage “might incite intimidation through delegitimising someone’s engagement in the political process, placing undue influence on their individual characteristics, or using threatening language”.
Facebook said in a statement: “We want parliamentarians and election candidates to feel safe on Facebook.”
The company said it had already offered advice and training to “over 5,000 candidates on how to report abusive content and keep their accounts secure”.
And it was “making significant investments in hiring more people who understand the issues around candidate safety” as well as working with anti-abuse charities.
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