Harassment and intimidation – particularly against women, those of ethnic minorities and disabilities – can have lasting effects on political participation and democracy beyond a single election campaign, warns the Electoral Commission, which has brought out a report on the May 7, 2026 elections covering metropolitan, London borough, unitary, district and county councils, alongside six directly elected local mayoral contests in England.
Vijay Rangarajan, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, said:ย โWithout improvements to candidate safety, there is a significant risk that people will be put off standing in future elections. It requires work right across the electoral community to prioritise the safety of all those taking part. Parties have a responsibility to make it clear to their members that they should respect all candidates, regardless of which party they represent, while social media companies should act faster to remove abusive content aimed at candidates, and identify those responsible.
โThese elections demonstrate the growing threats posed to democracy. Protecting those who participate in our elections, whether in the polling booth or on the campaign trail, is a vital part of a healthy democracy.โ
The watchdog asked candidates how concerns around personal safety impacted their campaign activity. Female respondents were more likely to change their behaviour due to concerns: most, 79 per cent avoided campaigning on their own at least once, compared to 46pc of male respondents; some 57pc avoided speaking on controversial topics, compared to 32pc of male respondents; and 55pc avoided using online media, compared to 34pc of male respondents. One third of respondents considered not standing for election because of harassment. Reform UK and Labour candidates were most likely to report being harassed; Conservatives and Liberal Democrats least. While over half of respondents reported being invited to a police security briefing, 43 per cent did not recall receiving such an invitation.
Calls
The Commission calls on the main political parties to support the parliamentary Speakerโs Conference recommendation to develop a code of conduct for campaigning; and on social media companies to do more to remove abusive content quickly and identify those being intimidating online.
Background
The August edition of Professional Security magazine as part of a review of Labour’s two years in power featured the anguished debate in the House of Commons on the tenth anniversary of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox during the Brexit referendum campaign of 2016.
For the findings in full visit the Commission’s website.
