Tobias Ellwood spoke to Nigel Farage on the change of extremism definition
Tobias Ellwood fears a whole generation of people will be put off entering politics - unless the issue of MP safety is taken more seriously.
Mr Ellwood’s home was targeted by protestors last week, in scenes which led to police having to be called.
Reflecting on what happened during an interview with Camilla Tominey on GBNews he said this morning (SUNDAY): “It was very surprising on a number of accounts. You don't expect this sort of behaviour in today's day and age and we need to make sure it does not become the norm of the MPs. I expect a bit rough and tumble. I expect criticism publicly and so forth. But when it comes to your house, you would hope that there will be a line drawn on what is acceptable behaviour.
“I'm very grateful to the Security Minister and the Policing Minister, to ask the police to look at the current laws to see whether they need to be improved. Because, otherwise, it's not just the impact on families and so forth. It's also the next generation of parliamentarians, the people that would like to step forward into public life. More people will be put off by wanting to become an MP if we don't recognise there are standards of behaviour in which demonstrations are allowed to operate.”
On the death of Alexei Navalny, Mr Ellwood told Camilla Tominey: “We simply now need to recognise how fragmented our world is becoming. And we need to recognise what President Putin is doing is a great example of crushing opposition to any criticism in his own country.
“The big debate here is how do we manage a world that's becoming ever more contested, more fragmented? What is the West doing about it? If we don't provide Ukraine, the necessary assets for the military equipment that they need to actually take back their territory, then Putin will not stop there. We need to make clear that Europe is at war right now. And it will continue and get worse unless we put this fire out.”
Meanwhile, Mr Ellwood has urged Tory colleagues thinking of turning again to Boris Johnson to change course.
He told Camilla Tominey: “We've moved on from that. He's not even an MP. So it's actually a bit of a distraction as to where we need to go. A General Election is only months away. If he comes back in my goodness, how disturbing that will be for the Conservative Party to then have another turn of the wheel, another selection process?
“Really, I think we need to recognise why he departed and why he had to go in the manner that he did. Let's back the current Prime Minister.”
And on the idea the Tories might benefit from a deal with Reform he added: “This is gifting space to Labour and to the centre ground. It is a false strategy, it really really is.”
