Man charged with threatening MPs including Corbyn, Rudd and Bercow over Brexit
Alleged messages threatened politicians with death over Brexit
A man has been charged with sending threatening emails to MPs, including calling former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn a “terrorist” and warning others they faced being assassinated.
Alleged victims include former speaker John Bercow, former home secretary Amber Rudd, former attorney general Dominic Grieve QC, one-time London mayoral candidate and ex-Cabinet minister Rory Stewart.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, ex-Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and the party’s current leader Sir Ed Davey were also allegedly threatened.
Paul Ritchie has been charged with nearly 30 counts of sending a letter, communication or article conveying a threatening message against a series of politicians, court documents show.
He is accused of sending Mr Corbyn an email in March 2019 with the message: “You should be hung for treason you f****** terrorist”.
The same month he allegedly sent a threatening email to the office of Mr Bercow invoking the murder of Jo Cox MP.
Several of the threats referenced Brexit, with one from Ritchie to prominent pro-Remain then-MP Chuka Umunna in July 2019 allegedly saying: “If you kill brexit... [w]e will kill you and your entire family”.
And he allegedly told Mr Stewart in June 2019: “If you block Brexit... you like likely [sic] be assassinated”.
Court documents allege he told Ms Swinson she deserved to be hanged and claimed to Ms Rudd that she was “definitely going to be assassinated”.
In messages to Mr Blackford in June 2019, Ritchie allegedly sent the threats “I hope you die” and “I dare you to come to the pub in Westminster and say some of the shit you do in the house.”
A court official at Westminster Magistrates’ Court said Ritchie, from Lanarkshire, would be called to enter his pleas on 25 February.
Additional reporting by agencies