Nearly one in three staff members who work for British MPs fear for their own safety or their colleagues' safety. Half are experiencing levels of psychological distress serious enough to be considered a medical concern. These numbers come from a survey of more than 500 parliamentary staffers published on July 24, 2026, and reported by The Guardian. They are the worst results since the survey started in 2021.

The survey comes weeks after the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a former government minister who later became a spokesperson for Reform UK. Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, has been charged with her killing. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is planning to announce a review of MPs' security in response.

Psychologist Dr Ashley Weinberg of the University of Salford ran the survey through a Westminster-based group called the Wellness Working Group (WWG), which focuses on the wellbeing of parliamentary staff. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said someone had sent them threatening messages. The share who say they "frequently, very frequently or always" fear for their safety has risen to 30%, up from 18.7% five years ago. One staff member said they had been physically attacked twice in the past year.

The findings also show that staffers regularly encounter prejudice. Seventy-three people said they were "very frequently or frequently" exposed to racist or prejudiced language from visitors to parliamentary offices. Another 188 said this happened sometimes. One in four said they had felt pressure to go along with requests that might put their safety at risk.

Safety recommendations are not being consistently followed. Seventeen staff members said none of the safety recommendations made to their MP had been put into practice. Fifty-nine out of 530 respondents (11%) said only "some" had been. The WWG wants the House of Commons authorities to have the power to enforce security measures when MPs or their office managers do not follow recommendations. They also want security arrangements to routinely cover MPs' staff even when the MP is not present.

A House of Commons spokesperson said it recognised the concerns raised by staff and was working closely with the WWG to strengthen support available to them.

The broader context here is a pattern of growing concern about the safety of elected representatives and the people who work for them. The Speaker's Conference, a parliamentary committee that looks into the security of MPs, candidates, and election campaigners, reported in June 2025 that the current level of threats is stifling debate and weakening democracy. That work followed earlier efforts by the Defending Democracy Taskforce, a group chaired by the Security Minister that brings together government ministers, law enforcement, Parliament, and the Electoral Commission (the body that oversees UK elections).

Several government responses have taken shape. The Government introduced provisions through the Crime and Policing Bill to restrict protests at the homes of public office holders. A debate on the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill took place in the House of Commons on January 6, 2026. The Speaker has committed to working with political parties and the Electoral Commission to create a code of conduct for election campaigning.

What the WWG survey adds is detailed evidence that the security burden falls not just on MPs but on their staff, who run constituency surgeries (regular meetings where MPs help local residents with problems), manage casework, and serve as the public face of Parliament. The finding that one in four staffers felt pressure to comply with requests that might compromise their safety reveals a tension: constituents expect to be able to reach their MP's office, and offices are often reluctant to turn people away, even when a particular interaction carries risk.

The gap between safety recommendations and actual implementation is also telling. With 17 staff reporting zero implementation and 11% reporting only partial follow-through, the picture is one of inconsistent compliance left to individual MPs' discretion. The WWG's proposal to give Commons authorities the power to override non-compliant MPs would be a meaningful shift in how Parliament operates, since security decisions have traditionally been left to each individual member.

Burnham's planned review will be watched for whether it addresses that structural gap or focuses on small improvements to existing arrangements. The WWG's data suggests the scope of the problem, from physical violence to psychological distress to routine exposure to prejudice, may call for more than small steps.