Lib Dem MP under police guard

Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes today said he has been placed under police guard following death threats against him.

Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes today said he has been placed under police guard following death threats against him.

The Southwark and Bermondsey MP was reported to have been given 24-hour protection by armed Special Branch officers and was being forced to move from his south London flat because it was vulnerable to attack.

Mr Hughes, the Lib Dems' Home Affairs spokesman, told The Express: "These chaps are with me everywhere I go now. But they're very good company, fortunately.

"There are four Special Branch officers who follow me around and there are two policemen posted outside my place at night."

The newspaper says the MP has received threats following the trial last month of the three men convicted of murdering 17-year-old Jamie Robe.

Mr Hughes helped persuade witnesses to come forward following the murder of the teenager in south London in August 1997.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "We do not discuss matters of security and protection."