Nigel Farage's prophecy has come true. Maybe now Sir Keir Starmer will learn his lesson - Ann Widdecombe

No physical attack would be justified even if the victim genuinely deserved such epithets, but when he is harangued as such merely because he belongs to a perfectly legitimate political party that happens to be leading the opinion polls in a democracy, the danger goes beyond this one incident.

The alleged assailant is unlikely to have reached his opinions in isolation; instead, he is part of an echo - an echo of hatred.

There is a difference between Far-Right and Right, just as there is a difference between Far Left and Left. I do not assume that every one on the Left is a communist, longing to resurrect the policies of Stalin. It is equally ignorant to suggest that everyone on the Right is a closet fascist, pining for a return of the Nazis.

I doubt if there is anything within the foregoing paragraph with which Keir Starmer would disagree but his use of language combined with the eminence of his position can be used – or misused - to legitimise actions and attitudes which are anti-democratic and even violent.

If someone is banging on in a pub that Reform is racist, then that is likely to have only a fraction of the impact than if it is said in measured tones by the Prime Minister of Britain. He is perceived to have validated the unfounded insult.

We should not over-react. Angry dissent and threatening behaviour are regrettable facets of political life, as is actual violence. I have been called scum (it all too easily rhymes with Widdecombe and so has become a rather obvious chant), I have been spat on, I have had my taxi surrounded by furious protesters, I have been pursued along Whitehall by a woman haranguing me about immigration, and I have even had my constituency surgery invaded by someone dressed as the Grim Reaper.

Death threats? I could have lined the wall with them. Just another day in politics.

Yet it is undeniable that violence on the streets has escalated. Within very recent memory two MPs have been murdered, significantly by lone individuals, rather than by organised terrorist cells such as we dealt with in the IRA years. But, crucially, those individuals have been radicalised by the opinions of other individuals.

Starmer knows this and knows that terms such as “racist” can inflame.

Politics is more nuanced than commentators like to portray. When I first joined parliament, Tories were divided into “wet” and “dry” instead of Left and Right. When asked which category I fell into, my reply was always “dry with damp patches”. That description still applies to this day.

Watch your language, Prime Minister, your words carry weight.