Reform UK Calls for 24-Hour Security for All MPs After Widdecombe Murder

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesman, held a press conference on Wednesday and said the climate surrounding the murder of Ann Widdecombe was one in which Reform UK was portrayed as a threat that must be urgently stopped. He described the narrative around the party as relentless and constituting incitement, adding that Reform UK faces targeting because it expresses views popular in the country but unfashionable in Westminster.

Yusuf called for substantially more spending on full security for every MP who wants it and said Reform UK would publish costings for round-the-clock protection covering potentially all 650 MPs and some former MPs.

He stated that even if the cost exceeds the £100 million estimate, the measure remains important to avoid accepting the risk of further attacks. The Independent reported that Yusuf cited past social media posts by Jess Phillips in 2010 and David Lammy in 2019 that referred to Widdecombe, and he contrasted those remarks with his own language.

He maintained there was a clear difference between his statements and comparisons of Reform UK to Nazis or fascists.

A Conservative spokesman said no party is immune to criticism and that Yusuf's comments serve only those who seek to harm parliamentarians. The spokesman added that security for MPs should be discussed but that the party's current priority is funding defence.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said Reform politicians often use language to incite and that those who dish out criticism should learn to take it.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer said all parties must do more to defend democracy and expressed hope that the House would unite behind that effort in the months ahead. The Independent reported that Reform UK has increased its security demands amid a separate dispute over a £5 million gift to Nigel Farage that he linked to his protection needs.