A Welsh MP has revealed she wears a stab vest when she meets the public due to fears for her safety.
Conservative MP for Anglesey Virginia Crosbie has told WalesOnline that she has started taking the precautions after the murder of MP Sir David Amess. Sir David was killed in after being stabbed multiple times at his constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church Hall in Leigh-on-Sea. He became the second sitting MP to be murdered in recent years after Labour MP Jo Cox was killed during the Brexit debate by a white supremacist who was obsessed with Nazis.
Speaking to WalesOnline Ms Crosbie said she also has security with her and informs the police about her location. "I want to be a good, visible, and approachable MP who lives and works in the community I represent," she said. "However, as we have seen with the murders of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, doing this is not without risk. This is why I have bought a stab vest, have security with me when I hold surgeries and I inform the police of the location.
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"I wish I didn’t have to take these precautions but I decided this was the best way to continue to do the job I love and be a good MP. People know I live on the island and that’s important."
She added that "the overwhelming majority of people across Anglesey are friendly, polite and wish me well, even if they do not agree with me politically" but that "sadly, it is the tiny majority we need to be wary of".
She went on to say: "In the tragic cases of Jo and Sir David, it was just one person each time that caused so much heartache. I took the decision that I will not be cowed by that tiny majority. Those who threaten me are reported to my brilliant local police who are quick to act and reassure myself and my staff.
"And that must be the case for all MPs. Otherwise, we give in to the hate and those who want to harm us and democracy. That is unacceptable. I won’t give them the satisfaction."
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