LONDON (AP) — Anti-immigration Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was ignored when he complained of threats to his safety, his deputy said Saturday after the man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe was charged with plotting a terror attack against Farage.
Richard Tice said Farage had discussed the risks to his security many times over the years and the charge amounts to a wake-up call.
“What’s particularly upsetting for those
of us in and around him is sometimes he’s not being believed, not being listened to,” Tice told the BBC.
Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, including against Farage, the Crown Prosecution Service said Friday.
Authorities did not release additional information about the charge, but counterterrorism police in August said they had reopened a probe into an alleged firebomb attack at Farage's south London home.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressed sympathy for Farage and his family.
"I know the new charges made today will be extremely concerning," Mahmood said on X. “Let no one make any mistake: an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all."
Mahmood said she would work to strengthen protections for politicians after Parliament returns from recess on Oct. 12.
Kerry was previously charged with murder in the July 8 beating death of Widdecombe, who was found dead in her house in an isolated southwest England village.
Widdecombe, 78, was a spokesperson for the Reform Party after a long career as a Conservative member of Parliament and government minister known for her blunt-spoken, socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.
She later found fame as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother” and returned to politics.
Widdecombe's killing renewed concerns over the security for politicians, which had been tightened in the past decade after the murders of two prominent MPs. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
Tice said the party had a series of high-level meetings with the government about security and that authorities had shifted their approach to treat threats more seriously.
Kerry is due to appear Wednesday in Westminster Magistrates' Court on the new charge.
