Yvette Cooper says ‘shameful scenes’ of abuse against election candidates must stop | Politics

An alarming increase in candidate intimidation during the UK general election campaign will be addressed next week at a meeting of ministers and officials, the Home Secretary has said.

Yvette Cooper said there had been “shameful scenes” in some areas in the run-up to the July 4 vote as she announced she would chair a meeting of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.

The government’s adviser on political violence, John Woodcock, told the Guardian on Sunday that “the growth in the UK of a US-style policy of aggressive confrontation and intimidation… could lead to another attempted assassination of a British politician” unless more is done to ensure their safety.

The move also follows the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on Saturday, which was condemned by world leaders including Keir Starmer.

Cooper said on Monday: “The recent general election campaign demonstrated some of the great strengths of our democratic traditions, including a smooth and peaceful transition of power from one party to another, but during this campaign we have also seen an alarming increase in intimidation, harassment and abuse of candidates, campaigners and volunteers from all parties, which simply cannot be tolerated.

“Some of these incidents are currently under police investigation. The shameful scenes we saw in some areas during this election campaign must not be repeated.”

Cooper said the task force, created by the previous Conservative government and bringing together ministers and experts, would meet to “ensure that public safety and the standards of our democracy can be upheld.”

The Home Office will conduct a rapid review of the election to assess the levels of harassment faced by candidates, with police forces across the country investigating a number of cases, it is understood.

On Friday, Woodcock, who is styled Lord Walney, wrote to the Home Secretary suggesting a “short but systematic review” assessing the scale of the problem, and saying there had been a “concerted campaign by extremists to create a hostile atmosphere for MPs in their constituencies in order to force them to give in to political demands”.

After the assassination attempt on Trump this weekend, Woodcock said that in Britain and the United States, “some aspects of our political debate are deeply toxic and divisive.”

Earlier this month, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood spoke out about how she, her family and supporters had been targeted in the run-up to election day, saying some people had sought to “deny” her Muslim faith.

Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney, said she needed police protection after receiving death threats and voter intimidation. Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, had a window and door to her office smashed days before the general election.

Jess Phillips used her victory speech in Birmingham Yardley to speak out about the repeated intimidation she and her campaigners faced during the campaign.

Woodcock said that during the election campaign there had been “deeply aggressive pro-Palestinian activists seeking to isolate and target [candidates]and that is something entirely different from expressions of protest on the street.”

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, criticised Woodcock’s intervention in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying it was a “crude effort to demonise anyone who supports Palestinian rights”.

Reform UK has accused police of failing to protect its candidates during the campaign, with its leader, Nigel Farage, having a milkshake and other objects thrown at him by critics. The party said one candidate was “robbed, punched and kicked” in what it called a “hate crime” and another was told to “go home” by police while handing out leaflets.