Latest updates: Mark Harper says minimum service level legislation may help ‘in medium term’ but not for current action
An MP has revealed that she wears a stab-proof vest when holding constituency surgeries following the murder of her colleague, David Amess. Virginia Crosbie, the Conservative MP for Ynys Môn (Angelsey), told GB News in an interview that she thought MPs were now getting even more abuse online than in the past, and that it was routine for her to get threats before breakfast. She said:
I have been in difficult situations. I do face to face surgeries where I wear a stab jacket, obviously following the murder of David Amess. And also, I have security protection as well.
I think it’s important I have direct contact with my constituents. And unfortunately, this is one of the things I have to do to ensure that I can actually do the job that I was elected to do.
In fact, since I became transport secretary a couple of month ago I met all the union leaders, I tried to change the tone of the discussions and I said that ministers would help facilitate the trade unions and the employers, that is the train operating companies and Network Rail, getting around the table.
[Harper] is not telling you the truth, because we had a document with the train operating companies that did not include driver-only operation. It was taken away for approval in Whitehall at the Department for Transport and they inserted about eight or nine bullet points that completely undermined the negotiations. That was a direct intervention of government ministers, we know that to be true.
If he is saying that didn’t happen, he is simply not telling you the whole truth.
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