Racist taunts, rape threats and murder: Joe Penhall on his play about violence against MPs

Racist taunts, rape threats and murder: Joe Penhall on his play about violence against MPs

James Corden and Anna Maxwell Martin are starring in The Constituent, a play that asks if MPs are no longer safe. Here, its writer explores what politicians wearing stab vests means for democracy

Since the murders of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox and Southend West MP Sir David Amess, we’ve seen a rising tide of viciousness aimed at locally elected politicians, by apparently fairly ordinary constituents. There are all manner of reasons, often surprisingly banal.

Female MPs are targeted for their gender. MPs from an ethnic minority background are disproportionately the target of racial or religious hatred. And some local MPs are targeted simply because they’re politicians, tasked with fixing problems they’re unable to fix. With a general election looming and MPs deciding which battles they can safely pick, there are fears the escalating hostility is a threat to democracy.

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