New MP speaks of campaign abuse and threats

A newly elected Labour MP has urged people to judge him only by his politics after revealing he faced personal abuse during the general election campaign.

David Burton-Sampson won the Southend West and Leigh seat, in Essex, from the Conservatives on 4 July.

The 46-year-old, who is black, gay and in a civil partnership, said people shouted at him in the street in a threatening manner and he faced moments of "intimidation" on the campaign trail.

He said: "I do have a thick skin, but it does still impact me when I see hatred being portrayed towards me and other people, and that needs to stop."

Mr Burton-Sampson first became involved in politics in 2012 and was elected to Basildon Borough Council in 2016, eventually becoming mayor.

In 2019, when raising a rainbow flag at the Basildon Centre to start Pride celebrations, he said he experienced racist abuse and the incidents have continued to this day.

He said: "It's not easy being a politician nowadays.

"I had abuse and intimidation on my campaign trail this year. It's not pleasant and it's simply unacceptable, but we need people in politics who are representative of the communities they serve.

"Diversity is really important."

The issue of MPs' safety is particularly poignant in Southend.

One of Mr Burton-Sampson's predecessors in Southend West and Leigh was the late Sir David Amess, who was horrifically murdered while holding a constituency surgery in October 2021.

That incident led to a number of MPs deciding to either tighten up their security or simply walk away from the job.

Mike Freer, the former Conservative MP in Finchley and Golders Green, narrowly escaped being attacked by the same man and said the abuse he faced had "become too much", so he decided to step down.

In the US campaign trail at the weekend, Donald Trump also survived an assassination attempt.

Mr Burton-Sampson said he was "sensible" around security and that becoming Labour's first-ever MP for the area had "taken a while to sink in".

He won the seat by about 2,000 votes from previous Conservative MP Anna Firth, whom he praised for the tone of the campaign.

"Politics needs to become more civil and I'm pleased that the campaign between myself and the former MP here Anna Firth was in the main between us two very, very civil, but that needs to be reflected in the wider community too," he said.

"People need to respect the fact we are putting our heads above the parapet to represent them and they need to not make things personal.

"Challenge me on my politics, not on me as a person, not on the colour of my skin, my sexuality, where I'm from, or anything like that."

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