Man arrested over abusive call to London MP

Following a report from London MP Mike Freer's office about an abusive and threatening phone call, a man has been arrested

The 46 year old is being questioned on suspicion of malicious communication.

This arrest follows a separate investigation into an arson attack at the constituency office in Finchley in December

A man and a woman have been remanded in custody after being charged with arson with intent to endanger life.

Detectives say the investigation established the offence was not a hate crime and the two incidents are not believed to be linked.

Detective Superintendent Will Lexton-Jones, from the local policing team in north-west London, said:

"It is vitally important for elected officials and their staff they can be confident in their safety and security, and we are committed to ensuring this.

"Today’s arrest sends a clear message we will not tolerate threats or aggression of any kind towards elected officials. We will deal quickly and robustly with such offences.

"We are in regular contact with MPs and other elected officials and fully recognise the growing concerns they are telling us about their safety, and as you would expect, we have kept Mr Freer MP updated throughout this investigation including today’s arrest.”

Mike Freer is stepping down at the next general election over concerns for his own safety after a series of death threats.

After speaking to Mr Freer, the Prime Minister has indicated he would be open to the idea of MPs having security guards amid concerns about their safety.

In an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, he said:

"I was actually speaking to Mike just yesterday and it's awful what he has had to endure - his office essentially being attacked and set on fire, the threats he has received - and everyone, regardless of the political party that they are a member of, gets into this because they believe in public service and they want to make a difference - and they should be able to do that without fearing for their personal safety.

"Now, actually, the Houses of Parliament have put in place over the years more things to protect MPs and security in their offices, and at their homes, and that is something that is constantly being reviewed. "

He said it was necessary also to "look at the ideology that is driving that kind of behaviour and that's making sure that we tackle it at its root".

Mr Sunak added: "What we can't have is that kind of extremist ideology festering in communities, on our streets, that leads people to behave in that particular way, and I think that is equally as important."

Asked if MPs having a security guard might be a "good idea", he said "there may well be an argument for that" but that it was a matter for the security services and police.

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