By Ben Kerrigan-

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced an urgent review of security arrangements for high-profile public figures, including politicians and members of the Royal Family, following the killing of Reform UK spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe and other recent security concerns.

The review, to be conducted by former national security adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove, will examine how existing protection is provided and whether security measures and funding are being used effectively. The Government has also confirmed that police support will be expanded immediately to cover political figures who are not currently MPs.

The expanded arrangements will include political party leaders who are not Members of Parliament, peers, former MPs, former members of devolved legislatures and political party spokespeople. Addressing the House of Commons, Mahmood said people entering public life did so to serve, adding that robust debate and criticism were part of the job, but threats, abuse and violence were not.

“An attack on any individual in public life is an attack on every one of us, and it is an attack on democracy itself,” she said.

She added that the country owed it to public servants who had lost their lives, and to everyone who believed in a fair and open society, to ensure that those serving the public received the protection they deserved.

The review will build on separate work being undertaken by Sir Robert Buckland into the murder of former Conservative MP Sir David Amess, who was killed while holding a constituency surgery in October 2021.

Widdecombe, 78, died on July 8 after allegedly being struck on the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor, on Dartmoor in Devon.

Joshua Kerry, 28, has been charged with her murder and with an alleged terrorist plot targeting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The allegations have not been proved in court.

Prosecutors allege that, over nearly two years before Widdecombe’s death, Kerry researched prominent people and institutions and attempted to gain entry to Farage’s south London home on April 19 last year. Others reportedly named on a list uncovered during the investigation include Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK MPs Richard Tice, Lee Anderson and Robert Jenrick.

Mahmood said that, irrespective of the outcome of the investigation into the alleged attempted break-in at Farage’s home, the circumstances had demonstrated the need to reassess protection for people in public life.

“I can therefore announce today that I will expand, with immediate effect, police support to political figures who are not currently members of Parliament,” she told MPs.

The review is expected to consider whether current arrangements adequately identify and respond to threats against public figures, as well as whether resources are being directed towards those who need protection most.

The announcement comes amid renewed scrutiny of the security risks faced by politicians and others in public life. While robust public debate remains an essential part of democratic society, the Government says threats and violence must not become accepted consequences of public service.

The findings of the independent review could inform changes to how protection is assessed, funded and delivered, although further details of any recommendations have yet to be announced.