BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg given bodyguard for Labour conference
1 min read
The BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg has been assigned a personal security guard for the Labour Party conference, after receiving threats against her.
According to reports, Ms Kuenssberg will be accompanied by a former soldier as she covers the party’s annual conference in Brighton.
A corporation insider told The Sun on Sunday: “We take the safety of our staff extremely seriously. Laura is a well-known public figure.
“She and her team will be covering events with big crowds where there can be hostility, so we want to ensure adequate precautions are taken.”
The move follows an intervention earlier this month by BBC chairman Sir David Clementi, who called for politicians to protect journalists from being jeered at during press conferences and from being abused on social media.
He said female journalists were suffering “increasingly explicit and aggressive” abuse online and that many had to endure aggressive behaviour at political events.
“It occurs in plain sight, at press conferences and political gatherings on all sides,” he said.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
