Government minister to stand down at next election owing to death threats

Mike Freer of the Ministry of Justice says the threats to his safety are ‘too much’ and may be related to his pro-Israel views

A government minister has said he will stand down at the next general election after a series of death threats and an arson attack on his constituency office.

The minister for courts and legal services, Mike Freer, said that “by the skin of my teeth I avoided being murdered” by Ali Harbi Ali, who went on to kill the Southend West MP, Sir David Amess.