Angela Rayner: man accused of threats to the Labor deputy leader

A man was charged after Labor Deputy Leader Angela Rayner received threatening and insulting phone calls.

Benjamin Iliffe, 36, of Slade Way in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, was charged with malicious communications and possession of cannabis.

He was remanded into custody to later appear before the Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court.

Rayner thanked the police “for their work during this investigation.”

A spokesperson for the Ashton-under-Lyne MP said he had received several threatening, malicious and offensive communications in recent weeks.

Two other people were detained in connection with the matter.

Greater Manchester police said a 70-year-old man was previously arrested on suspicion of malicious communications, in collaboration with the South Yorkshire police.

That arrest involved abusive emails received on October 16, police said.

A 52-year-old man was also detained in Halifax on Wednesday on suspicion of malicious communications due to abusive phone calls to the Labor MP on October 15.

He was later released on bail.

The investigation comes amid growing concerns over the security of lawmakers and the level of abuse they receive following the killing of Sir David Amess.

The Southend West Conservative MP was stabbed during surgery at a constituency in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

Ms. Rayner, a mother of three, is currently on bereavement leave following the death of a loved one.

After the first arrest, her spokesperson said: “Abuses and threats of this kind have an impact not only on Angela but also on her family, her children and her staff who receive these communications.”