Committee publication · Special Report · 5 March 2026 · HC 1709
Large Print - 1st Special Report: Speaker’s Conference on the security of MPs, candidates and elections: Government Response
Summary
This is the Government's response to two reports by the Speaker's Conference on threats to MPs, candidates and elections. Published 5 March 2026, it outlines Government positions on 50+ recommendations covering candidate security, electoral law reform, police coordination, criminal justice responses, and online platform accountability. The Government accepts most recommendations, announcing measures including new sentencing aggravating factors, disqualification order reforms, private security for candidates, and changes to electoral registration.
Key findings
- Government accepts the need for a cross-party campaign code of conduct to be in place by May 2026 elections, developed with the Speaker, Electoral Commission and political parties.
- Op REGENCY private security scheme provided support to 206 candidates at 532 events in 2024 election; Government commits to continue this for future parliamentary elections.
- Government partially accepts electoral law review recommendation, announcing removal of home addresses from nomination papers for candidates acting as own election agents, and introduction of mandatory ID checks and statutory declarations for candidates.
- Government confirms work with police, Crown Prosecution Service and Sentencing Council to ensure disqualification orders under Elections Act 2022 are consistently understood and applied by prosecutors and judges.
- Government will make provision for optional candidate contact form to be shared with police for Op BRIDGER security briefings; will not expand Section 106 RPA 1983 to capture political statements, citing judicial impartiality concerns.
Government position
Government takes threats to democracy and elected representatives seriously. It accepts most Speaker's Conference recommendations, citing the murders of Jo Cox and David Amess as context. Commits to: establishing campaign code of conduct by May 2026; continuing Op REGENCY private security for candidates; reforming electoral law on candidate addresses and ID checks; ensuring consistent application of disqualification orders; developing guidance for police and returning officers on criminal thresholds; and addressing online abuse through platform accountability measures. Partially accepts recommendation 8 (electoral law review) and declines to expand Section 106 beyond personal conduct/character to political statements, stating this would inappropriately politicise courts. Overall framing: whole-of-Government response through Defending Democracy Taskforce, balancing robust debate protection with abuse prevention.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Speaker's Conference (2024), UK Government, Home Office, Electoral Commission, National Police Chiefs Council, Parliamentary Security Department, Crown Prosecution Service, Ofcom
Notable line
“No one should be deterred from standing for public office due to safety concerns. Harassment of politicians undermines democracy and risks silencing voices.”
Key Quotes
“The murders of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess were not isolated tragedies; they shocked Parliament and our democracy, leaving grief and fear that now shape political discourse.”
“At the last general election, over half of candidates faced abuse or intimidation, and nearly all MPs have experienced it. This is unacceptable.”
“No one should be deterred from standing for public office due to safety concerns. Harassment of politicians undermines democracy and risks silencing voices.”
“Serving as an elected representative is an honour and a privilege, and Government will do all it can to preserve both the safety and the sense of safety of those who serve.”
“For the first time ever, in the 2024 General Election, the Home Office provided a Private Security offering for all Parliamentary candidates called Op REGENCY.”
“Robust political debate and freedom of expression is a fundamental part of our democracy. Including political statements within this offence would place a significant burden on the courts to act as de facto fact checkers during elections and would unnecessarily politicise the judicial system.”
“… harassment and intimidation must never become part and parcel of the role of an elected representative.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗