Army to investigate soldier who sent death threats to Labour MP Angela Rayner
2 min read
Defence officials have claimed they will investigate a soldier who tweeted Angela Rayner saying she "will perish when civil war comes".
Ms Rayner shared a screenshot of the message, describing it as another “vile tweet I get daily”.
The Twitter account which sent the tweet has since been deleted.
The message was denounced by commander of the British field army, Lt Gen Ivan Jones.
He claimed the account belonged to a serving British soldier and said the offending tweet “does not represent the remarkable men and women […] who serve this nation”.
He added that the situation is “being dealt with”.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace also condemned the tweet, calling it “unacceptable”.
He said: “This foul language goes against the values of the Armed Forces and is now being investigated by the Army and civilian police”.
According to The Guardian, an army spokesperson said: “We are aware of a post made on Twitter in reply to an MP. This incident has been referred to the civilian authorities to investigate.
“The Army is a politically neutral organisation and holds its people to the highest standards.”
The incident comes amid calls to tone down the language in parliament after comments by the prime minister attracted controversy.
Former minister Amber Rudd accused Boris Johnson of using language in the parliament which “incites violence”.
Labour MP Jess Phillips has also criticised Mr Johnson for “stoking hate” after she received death threats referring to the prime minister.
A man was arrested outside Ms Phillips’ constituency office on Thursday for allegedly threatening behaviour.
Mr Johnson has defended the language he used in parliament this week.
In an interview with BBC Look North, he said: "Obviously I’m deeply sorry for the threats that MPs face and I think it’s very important we look after them, particularly look after female MPs.
“But it’s also important to protect the right of MPs to speak freely in the House of Commons about important political matters and the fact of the so-called Benn Act is that it surrenders our powers."
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