New Delhi : Preet Kaur Gill, the first female Sikh MP in Britain, has reported to the police after receiving a threatening email. The email contained the message “watch your back” and has forced Gill to hire a bodyguard for her constituency surgery meetings.
Gill, who is the senior Labour MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, said that the email was very direct and left her worried as she often visits her constituency with her daughters. The threatening message puts into context the challenges of her job as a public figure, Gill said.
The MP expressed concern about the lack of support available to women in politics who face such threats. “As a woman, when you put yourself forward and you want to address injustices and you care about issues that affect your constituents, you’re then faced with people that think it’s okay to say this sort of stuff to you,” Gill said in an interview with GB News.
The threat was sent from a legitimate account with a genuine email address, which left Gill shocked. The MP was targeted with hate campaigns in the past, making this latest threat even more concerning.
Gill reported the incident to the West Midlands Police, who are investigating the matter. The police have not disclosed any information about the identity of the person who sent the email.
The incident has sparked concern about the safety of MPs, particularly women and minorities, who are often targets of hate campaigns and threats. Some MPs have called for more support and security measures to be put in place to protect them from such threats.