Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced โan independent, root-and-branch review of the protective security provided by the state to those in public lifeโ. She told the House of Commons: โIt will examine protective security from every angle, including physical threats, online risks, and the dangers posed within our more polarised society. It will hear directly from ministers, Members of Parliament and other high-profile people in public life, and it will report within six months.โ
Sir Stephen Lovegrove, the former National Security Adviser, will lead it. For the Conservatives, Shadow Home Secretary and former Home Office minister Chris Philp welcomed the review and said โthreats to democratically elected representatives are threats to democracy itselfโ.
Background
The review follows the murder of the former MP and Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe at her home in Devon in the summer. A man has been charged with her murder. The Home Secretary also referred to the first anniversary of the terror attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester; and the recently-passed National Security (State Threats) Act 2026. She said more generally: “The threats we face today are complex and often interconnected. They target communities and citizens, the critical infrastructure that we depend on, and the institutions and individuals that make up our democracy. Our response to this growing threat is rightly multifaceted. We are tackling extremism in our communities and in the online world.”
For the debate, visit Hansard.
