Rise in abuse against election candidates is reshaping politics in England
A report from the UK Electoral Commission on this year's local and mayoral elections in England found a sharp rise in threats against candidates, particularly women and ethnic minorities. A third of affected candidates say they may not stand again.
The UK Electoral Commission has described abuse and intimidation of election candidates as a "serious and growing concern," after a review of this year's local and mayoral elections in England found a marked increase in threats faced by those who stood for office.
More than half of Labour and Reform UK candidates reported experiencing abuse, with women, candidates from minority ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities most likely to be targeted. Some described being spat at, verbally abused or physically assaulted.
Changing behaviour
A third of surveyed candidates said they may not stand for election again because of the harassment or intimidation they faced. Women were far more likely than men to change how they campaigned for safety reasons: 79% said they had avoided campaigning alone at least once, compared with 46% of men, while 57% avoided discussing controversial topics, against 32% of men.
Electoral Commission chief executive Vijay Rangarajan said the rise in abuse was not directed at any single party and stemmed from a range of causes, including a growing tendency to "other" and dehumanise political opponents, often fuelled by social media blurring the line between online and offline confrontation.
The review found 59% of Reform UK candidates and 54% of Labour candidates reported experiencing inappropriate behaviour or threats, followed by 42% of Greens, 37% of independents, 26% of Conservatives and 22% of Liberal Democrats.
The commission is calling on social media companies to develop faster response protocols to tackle online abuse of candidates, and urging political parties to press their members to treat rival campaigners with respect. Rangarajan also welcomed proposed legislation that would protect election agents' home addresses and increase sentences for crimes against candidates and electoral staff.
Despite the concerns, the report found voter satisfaction with how elections are run remains high, at 94% in England, broadly consistent with previous years. However, more than half of those surveyed said they had encountered election misinformation, and one in ten reported seeing deepfake content.
