Dominic Raab says he was threatened with acid attack as MPs reveal scale of abuse after Sir David Amess killing

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Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has revealed he was recently threatened with an acid attack and has received several death threats over the past two years.

The justice secretary was speaking about MPs security in the wake of Sir David Amess’ killing in Leigh-on-Sea on Friday.

A 25-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.

Mr Raab said he had received three threats to his life in the last two years that had resulted in police intervention.

But Mr Raab said offering MPs protection such as stab proof vests when at constituency meetings would be unlikely to work because they would just be “threatened with something else”.

"I’m happy to look at any practical measures, but the reality is that people will threaten you with something else,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

"The most recent threat I’ve had was someone threatening to throw acid over me."

He said there was an "intervention" in relation to the threat.

It comes after a man was arrested for making death threats against the Labour MP Chris Bryant hours after the killing of Sir David.

Mr Bryant, MP for Rhondda, said he had received the threats after calling for people to be kinder following the death on Friday.

South Wales Police said a 76-year-old from Pontycymer, Bridgend county, was arrested on suspicion of malicious communications.

Under the Government’s new Online Harms Bill social media and tech companies will face fines if they do not take down harmful content posted online. The Home Secretary Priti Patel has also suggested companies could also be forced to stop users setting up anonymous social media accounts.

Mr Bryant, who claimed he faced abuse every year he has been an MP, said: “I got back on Saturday and the first message in my inbox was this death threat, pretty clear, so I notified the police and they have taken action.”

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