Security arrangements for high-profile public figures to be reviewed urgently, Shabana Mahmood says

Urgent reviews are to be carried out into the security arrangements protecting high-profile public figures including politicians and members of the royal family, Shabana Mahmood has said.

It following the killing of Ann Widdecombe and other events, the Home Secretary added.

Ms Mahmood confirmed that police support will be extended to party leaders who are not MPs, alongside peers, former MPs, ex-members of devolved parliaments and political spokespeople.

Former national security adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove will lead the independent review, examining current security delivery and evaluating whether resources and measures are deployed effectively.

The project will build upon findings from Sir Robert Buckland, who is undertaking a separate review following the murder of Sir David Amess, the Commons heard.

Reform UK spokeswoman Miss Widdecombe, 78, died on July 8 after she was hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon.

Ms Mahmood said: “Those who enter public life do so to serve. Robust debate and criticism are part of the job. Threats, abuse and violence are not.

“An attack on any individual in public life is an attack on every one of us, and it is an attack on democracy itself.

“We owe it to those public servants we have tragically lost, and to everyone who believes in a fair and open country, to ensure those who serve receive the protection they deserve.”

She added: “We can defeat those who mean us harm, but we are strongest when we act together.

“In a more dangerous world, we are faced by threats from without and within that target our democracy and our way of life.

“In response, we are adapting and strengthening our defences.

“As ever, I commend the work of the police and our security services, who labour in silence to keep us safe. And I’m sure the whole House joins me in offering thanks to them for that vital life-saving work.

“This Government is taking action in support of that effort, but I know there is more that we must do – as I have set out in this statement – to protect this country, to protect our citizens, and to protect our democracy.

“I hope the whole House can join together in that vital work, which is so much greater than any of our differences, because I know that those of us who choose to serve all share a belief: we will never be defeated by those who mean us harm.”