More than half of all candidates standing in this year’s local elections suffered abuse and harassment, triggering growing alarm over the safety of democratic representatives.
Following the findings, the Electoral Commission cautioned that escalating hostility risks discouraging individuals from seeking public office, while calling on social media platforms to speed up the removal of offensive posts.
According to a watchdog report analysing England’s local contests, 55 per cent of candidates encountered intimidation or abuse during their campaigns, marking an increase from 47 per cent in the previous year.
Online harassment was the primary method targeted at candidates, with 39 per cent stating they received unacceptable messages across social media networks.
The report also highlighted instances of street stalking, verbal attacks from both political opponents and members of the public, as well as cases of physical violence.
One candidate recounted their experience to the Electoral Commission: “Someone attempted to attack me when I visited their property, initially went to throw a punch at me, then spat at me which I moved out of the way.”
Despite the prevalence of these incidents, just 15 per cent of targeted candidates chose to report them to the police.
The incidence of abuse varied across political parties. Over half of the candidates representing Labour and Reform UK reported facing mistreatment.
open image in galleryBy comparison, 43 per cent of Green Party candidates cited abusive behaviour, whereas figures dropped to 26 per cent for the Conservatives and 22 per cent for the Liberal Democrats.
Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive of the Electoral Commission, highlighted that the levels of hostility “demonstrate the growing threats posed to democracy”.
He said: “Without improvements to candidate safety, there is a significant risk that people will be put off standing in future elections.
“It requires work right across the electoral community to prioritise the safety of all those taking part.
“Parties have a responsibility to make it clear to their members that they should respect all candidates, regardless of which party they represent, while social media companies should act faster to remove abusive content aimed at candidates, and identify those responsible.”
Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart said: “Candidates must be free to campaign, express their views and make their case to voters without fear of abuse or intimidation.
“If people are being threatened or attacked simply for putting themselves forward for election, that should concern us all.
“Free and fair elections depend on candidates being able to speak and voters being able to hear them. We cannot allow intimidation to silence people or drive good candidates out of public life.”