LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) – Britain’s interior minister Shabana Mahmood on Monday announced an urgent review of the security arrangements for high-profile public figures, in the wake of the killing of an ex-minister which prosecutors allege was ideologically motivated.
Mahmood said the review would examine the current security provided to high-profile individuals, including royals, as well as ministers, lawmakers and other prominent politicians.
“It is clear there is insufficient protection for those who serve,” Mahmood told parliament.
She also said dedicated police support will be expanded to leaders of political parties who are not lawmakers, former lawmakers and party spokespeople, “giving them access to a named police officer, as well as help with wider security measures”.
Mahmood’s announcement follows the killing in July of Ann Widdecombe, a junior Conservative minister in the mid-1990s and more recently a prominent figure in Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
Joshua Kerry had been charged with the murder of Widdecombe when he was subsequently accused of a terrorism offence targeting Farage and other unnamed public figures.
Prosecutors allege Kerry attempted to gain entry to Farage’s house in April 2025, with police watchdog the IOPC investigating the police’s response.
Widdecombe’s killing, which stoked concerns about politicians’ security, came after two serving British members of parliament were killed in 2016 and 2021.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)
