Britain: A Labour MP has received a potential death threat on Twitter over his decision to vote in favour of airstrikes in Syria

'Death Threat' Labour MP Receives Email Apology

Labour's Neil Coyle says a Twitter threat he received after voting in favour of airstrikes in Syria is now in the hands of police.


Neil Coyle was sent the warning after voting for strikes against IS

Labour MP Neil Coyle, who received an apparent Twitter death threat over his backing of Syria airstrikes, says he has now been sent an apology.

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But the MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark said that as he did not know who the threat was from, he informed the police and the matter is now out of his hands.

He said he contacted police as the alleged abuse had left him worried for his wife, staff and volunteers.

Scotland Yard has confirmed it is investigating a number of online threats made on social media against MPs following the controversial Commons vote.

The message sent to Mr Coyle, which included emojis of knives and has since been deleted, said: "@coyleneil , u voted for airstrikes in syria , if i see u round ends."

Darren McCaffrey, Sky's Politics Reporter in Westminster, said police officers are being placed outside Mr Coyle's constituency office, such is the perceived threat.

The scare follows a letter - penned to Labour members by Jeremy Corbyn and his deputy, Tom Watson - which warned "abuse and intimidation have no place in politics".

Mr Watson has since told Sky News that he will be taking proposals for a social media code of conduct to Labour's National Executive Committee in January.

Mr Coyle told Sky News: "There is a vociferous minority who think they can make these threats and abuse people. In many cases, anonymously. They do it online. It needs to be tackled.

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"The one individual who sent the knives has since e-mailed an apology. That is a step forward, I suppose. I have said to him that it is no longer in my hands."

"'No MP Should Be Intimidated'"

Mr Coyle was among 66 Labour MPs to vote in support of extending airstrikes to Syria - with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond declaring "Britain is safer" after the Government's plans were approved by 397 votes to 223 - a majority of 174.

Labour veteran Ken Livingstone had suggested that those Labour MPs who defied their leader and backed military action should be pushed out of their seats.

The former mayor of London, who was controversially put in charge of the party's defence review, told LBC: "If I had an MP who had voted to bomb Syria then I would be prepared to support someone to challenge him."

Stephen Doughty, the shadow foreign affairs minister, has described Mr Livingstone's remarks as "utterly inappropriate".

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Meanwhile, John Woodcock, the Labour-Cooperative MP for Barrow and Furness, said he welcomed Mr Corbyn's calls to end abuse and intimidation - but called on him to "rein in" Mr Livingstone, as he "has gone too far".