BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg is being protected by security guards at the Labour party conference this week after months of hounding from online trolls.
The Sun on Sunday reports that Kuenssberg will be accompanied both inside and outside the conference venue, which is protected by a secure zone where delegates must have a pass to gain access.
A source told the paper: “We take the safety of our staff extremely seriously. Laura is a well-known public figure.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“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.”
It’s not the first time Kuenssberg has been given a bodyguard after reports emerged claiming a similar precaution was taken during the general election, says The Daily Telegraph.
Kuenssberg “attracted ire” from some Labour supporters over her coverage of the 2016 local and leadership elections. The BBC found that one of her reports misrepresented Corbyn’s views on the policy of shoot-to-kill and broke the corporation’s rules on impartiality and accuracy. A petition for her to be sacked garnered 35,000 signatures before being taken down, The Independent says.
Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the abuse Kuennsberg faced was “unacceptable” and that abusive activists would be “disciplined”.
Describing it as a “a comment on the country we live in,” James Kirkup in The Spectator writes: “This is a story about people threatening to hurt a woman. Threatening to hurt her for saying things they disagree with, things they do not want her to say.”
“Think about what that says about Britain, a country that prides itself on its values of tolerance and equality.”
The four-day Labour party conference started Sunday.
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
-
The high street: Britain’s next political battleground?In the Spotlight Mass closure of shops and influx of organised crime are fuelling voter anger, and offer an opening for Reform UK
-
Biggest political break-ups and make-ups of 2025The Explainer From Trump and Musk to the UK and the EU, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a round-up of the year’s relationship drama
-
Nigel Farage’s £9mn windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
-
The launch of Your Party: how it could workThe Explainer Despite landmark decisions made over the party’s makeup at their first conference, core frustrations are ‘likely to only intensify in the near-future’
-
‘The business ultimately has a customer base to answer to’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
Your Party: a Pythonesque shamblesTalking Point Comical disagreements within Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's group highlight their precarious position
