- Author, Samantha Noble and PA Media
- Role, BBC News, East Midlands
A new independent MP who declared “this is for Gaza” in his victory speech missed an aid funding announcement in parliament due to a “potential death threat”.
Shockat Adam, MP for Leicester South, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he welcomed the government’s decision to resume funding the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Mr Adam said he was unable to attend the announcement “because I was dealing with a potential death threat”.
‘Aggressive behaviour’
He wrote: “I welcome the fact that the government has finally restored funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), after it was abruptly withdrawn by the Conservatives, depriving Palestinians of vital aid.”
He continued: “Unfortunately, I was unable to be in the room today as I was facing a potential death threat.
“I would like to thank Leicestershire and Cambridgeshire Police for their professional, prompt and courteous assistance in dealing with this incident.
“Aggressive behaviour towards me and my family has become commonplace, but I can assure my constituents that this will not distract me from my duties.”
Leicestershire Police have been contacted for comment. Cambridgeshire Police could not be reached.
Image source, Getty Images
Mr Adam won Leicester South by less than 1,000 votes, beating Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth, a former shadow secretary of state for work and pensions.
Mr Ashworth had held the seat since 2011 and had held a majority of 22,675 since 2019.
The Foreign Ministry suspended funding to UNRWA in January over allegations that the organization’s staff were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Mr Lammy told the House of Commons the government was reassured that UNRWA was ensuring it met neutrality standards and was strengthening its procedures, including monitoring, following an independent review.
Restoring funding to UNRWA was one of several Gaza-related demands that Mr Adam and four other independent MPs, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, put forward in a letter to the Foreign Secretary on Monday.
