• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Set For Life
      • Thunderball
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Suspected arson attack at Tory MP Mike Freer office ‘concerning’, says No 10

Mike Freer, the MP for Finchley and Golders Green, has raised the possibility that the incident could be related to his pro-Israel stance.

Joe Connor by Joe Connor
2023-12-27 16:14
in News, Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A suspected arson attack at the office of Conservative MP Mike Freer is “clearly concerning”, No 10 said.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said she could not comment on whether the attack was motivated by antisemitism but said it is “critical” that MPs can carry out their work “without fear”.

Mr Freer, whose Finchley and Golders Green constituency is home to a large Jewish community, has raised the possibility of the attack being related to his pro-Israel stance.

Police officers and firefighters from the London Fire Brigade were called to Mr Freer’s constituency office in north London at about 7pm on Christmas Eve.

The Metropolitan Police said the fire happened in a shed at the MP’s office in Ballards Lane, Finchley.

Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Mr Freer said a police investigation would look into whether the fire was started by “someone bearing a grudge” or if there were “slightly more nefarious motives”.

He said: “I’m hoping, if you can have an innocent arson attack, it is just someone with a grudge or so on with nothing better to do than cause a fire.

“But sadly I’ve had too many incidents in the past where I’ve been attacked because of my views on the Middle East.

“But also many of my constituents have had similar incidents so it is not an unknown incident in Golders Green.

RelatedPosts

Gary Lineker says BBC should ‘hold its head in shame’ for not airing Gaza documentary

Jeremy Corbyn breaks silence on new political party with Zarah Sultana

Reform faced first ever council seat defences – they lost both of them

Odds shorten on new prime minister as Keir Starmer faces leadership crisis

“When something flares in the Middle East, the level of attacks in my local area do go up, so sadly it could be to do with my views on the Middle East.”

Mr Freer has represented the constituency since 2010 and is parliamentary under-secretary at the Ministry of Justice.

He said there is a “history of attacks on me and my office”.

Last year, Mr Freer told the Old Bailey he and his staff decided to wear stab vests and carry panic alarms after learning that Ali Harbi Ali, who went on to kill Southend West MP Sir David Amess, had first scoped out his Finchley office.

Many of you will have seen or heard the news reports from the last 24 hours about my office.

During this time, responses to messages and emails might not be as prompt as usual and we ask that you bear with us as we endeavour to get back up and running as soon as we can. pic.twitter.com/Jkw7dU3jQS

— F&GGConservatives (@Finchleytories) December 25, 2023

Mr Sunak’s spokeswoman, asked on Wednesday about the MP’s office potentially being targeted, said: “You will appreciate, with an ongoing investigation, I’m limited in what I can say on that.

“However, it is clearly concerning and the Prime Minister’s thoughts are with Mike Freer and his team.

“Speaking more broadly, it is critical that MPs and their staff are able to perform their parliamentary duties safely and without fear.

“You will know that MP security is always kept under constant review.”

She said there is “no place for antisemitism in this country” but said she could not comment further on whether the fire was started in protest against Mr Freer’s stance on the war between Israel and Hamas.

Since Palestinian militants raided Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 240 hostage, there has been a marked increase in antisemitic incidents recorded in Britain, along with a spike in Islamophobic incidents.

Regular pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held in the UK in recent months in protest against the rising death toll in the conflict, with the Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip saying more than 21,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting broke out.

The No 10 spokeswoman said: “I’m not going to get into details while there is an ongoing investigation.

“The Met have issued statements and we will leave them to provide further updates.”

The Met on Wednesday said there had been no significant updates in the case.

In a statement issued previously, the force said there had been no reports of any injuries following the fire.

“The cause of the fire is under investigation as it is believed it may have been started deliberately,” a Met spokesman said.

“Further inquiries will take place.”

You may also like: Clip of Boris Johnson promising free hospital parking goes viral as fees hit £146 million

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

← Tories accused of overseeing ‘pothole pandemic’ ← People are just realising that most curry house dishes come from the same sauce
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Lottery Results
    • Lotto
    • Set For Life
    • Thunderball
    • EuroMillions
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE thelondoneconomic.com - All Rights Reserved. Privacy

-->