WATCH: MP says teacher told pupils not to speak to his son as ‘his dad is a Tory’
2 min read
An MP has revealed how a teacher told their class not to speak to his son because his father is a Conservative politician.
Bob Stewart said his 13-year-old son had been singled out during the general election.
The Beckenham MP spoke about the incident during a Commons debate on the abuse of MPs during the campaign.
Mr Stewart said: "All my four children have been hassled by kids because of the job of their father. There is little to be done about that, because they are children.
“My kids are robust enough to withstand it but such behaviour is taken to a new level when during the last general election a teacher tells the class of my 13-year-old boy that no one should talk to him because he’s the son of a Conservative MP.”
Home Office minister Sarah Newton expressed her shock at the "simply unacceptable" incident.
She said: "It is a noble thing to stand for election. It is a noble thing to want to represent your community and those people in a position of authority and influence such as a teacher should be supporting and upholding the shared values of our country.
"And it most disappointing to hear of somebody in such a powerful and influential position letting themselves down and letting their profession down."
Downing Street announced in July that Theresa May had launched an investigation into the intimidation of politicians during the election campaign.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life will look into whether existing measures to protect candidates are effective and enforceable.
Mrs May called on all parties to work to “stamp out” the abuse of candidates, after both the Tories and Labour accused each other of unacceptable practices.
“I have been horrified by stories from colleagues about the scale and nature of the intimidation, bullying and harassment they suffered during the general election campaign,” the Prime Minister said.
“Robust debate is a vital part of our democracy, but there can be no place for the shocking threats and abuse we have seen in recent months.
“We must all work together to banish this behaviour, and I would urge MPs and candidates from all parties to report their experiences to this review so we get the fullest possible picture – and can take the action required to stamp it out.”
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
