MPs told to build safe rooms at home just three months before Ann Widdecombe's death

MPs were told to create safe houses within their homes just three months before Ann Widdecombe’s death, it has emerged

The National Protective Security Authority, which is an offshoot of MI5, suggested that high-risk individuals, including MPs, local councillors and foreign dissidents, should create a “safer area” where they can take shelter if they be targeted by “hostile actors".

The new guidance was published online three months before the former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe was killed in what has been labelled as a “targeted attack".

The NPSA guidance said that the “safe room” could be a dedicated space or a somewhat normal-looking room.

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The guidance states that the room could be equipped with fog machines and bulletproof walls to defend against intruders.

It also says that timed indoor lights should be installed, to allow for the illusion of people being home even if the house is empty, and bushes should also be cut back to remove hiding places for intruders.

The updated guidance came amid an increase in threats being sent towards high-risk individuals from hostile states or activists.

MPs are not entitled to lifelong protection. After the 2024 election, former MPs were given the option of whether to keep the security installed; if they chose to, the costs would fall to them.

Former Prime Ministers are entitled to lifelong protection, so Sir Keir Starmer will add to the list of living former PMs that need protection, taking the number to a record nine.

The cost of protecting MPs when they are not in Parliament has reached more than £20million a year.

That includes fitting CCTV into MPs’ homes and offices, as well as employing close protection officers to accompany them in public.

Officers were introduced after the murder of Sir David Amess in 2021, and they are understood to have been used on thousands of occasions since their introduction.

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Andy Burnham has said he will review whether the existing security system is enough, adding that he was “shocked to see how much security now has to be in place.”

The NPSA works with both public and private sector organisations to protect their staff from threats.

The security service defines any high-risk individual as someone with a public profile who works on contentious issues, as well as people who possess information useful to hostile states.

The parliamentary security department is responsible for the security of all 650 MPs.

They each recieve a tailored arrangement, dependent on their personal risks, as well as having the option to fund additional security themselves if they see fit.

Nigel Farage has spoken out about the number of threats he receives following the death of Ms Widdecombe, revealing he receives over 300 a month.

Following that revelation, a man was arrested for threatening to shoot the Reform UK leader.

The suspect described himself as a terrorist on social media and warned the Reform UK leader: “I am going to shoot you in the head if you win".

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