Liam Byrne feared attack after constituent overturned surgery gazebo in Birmingham
Labour MP Liam Byrne told Walsall Magistrates’ Court he feared an attack during a confrontation with constituent Kevin Sullivan at an outdoor surgery in Birmingham. He said the encounter brought to mind murdered and injured parliamentary colleagues, including Jo Cox, and left him and his team deeply shaken.
The court heard Sullivan overturned the group’s gazebo and made angry remarks about mosques and grooming gangs as Byrne’s team packed up. Sullivan, 52, was found guilty of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaving disorderly to cause harassment, alarm or distress, after a trial lasting less than two hours. Byrne said he now needs two security officers at constituency surgeries.
In short
- Liam Byrne said he feared the confrontation could turn violent.
- Kevin Sullivan was found guilty after overturning a campaign gazebo.
- Byrne now needs two security officers at constituency surgeries.
Explained simply
An MP’s constituency surgery is a meeting where local people can raise concerns or ask for help. These meetings are often held in community venues, and some take place outdoors; MPs and their staff may meet visitors without knowing in advance what they will want to discuss.
Jo Cox, an MP, was murdered in 2016 while carrying out constituency work. Her killing, and other attacks on politicians, have shaped concerns about the safety of MPs and their staff when they meet the public.
Liam Byrne represents a Birmingham constituency and has spoken about security at public meetings. The case concerns the boundaries between heated political expression and behaviour that the law treats as threatening or abusive, as well as the practical steps MPs take to protect staff and visitors.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Labour MP said he ‘feared the worst’ during angry confrontation with constituent which left him thinking of murdered parliamentary colleagues including Jo Cox”.