The Finchley and Golders Green MP told the Daily Mail he was stepping down after discussions with his family following death threats and an attack on his constituency office

The MP for Finchley and Golders Green is stepping down at the next election following death threats and an attack on his constituency office.

The Daily Mail reports that Mike Freer, who has represented the constituency since 2010, told Rishi Sunak today that he was leaving frontline politics after discussing his growing safety fears with his family.

Freer, who currently serves as a justice minister in Sunak’s government, told the Daily Mail of about the concerns of his husband Angelo and other family members saying: “‘Obviously your husband or your family’s views have to carry a lot of weight. And when someone worries that, are you going to come home at night? – you have to take that seriously.”

Had he not stepped down, Freer was due to take on Labour candidate Sarah Sackman in Finchley and Golders Green at the upcoming general election.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter) tonight, Sackman said: “I am shocked and sorry to hear that Mike Freer has decided to stand down at the next election and would like to thank him for his years of service to our community.

“We should have been able to face each other in the polls based on our ideas and merits. Instead, politics is now so often skewed by violent language, hate and the dangers of social media. I am determined for this to change.

“As ever, I would like to thank the CST, Tell Mama and the Met Police for their ongoing work during this difficult time for our caring, diverse community.”

This post was updated at 11.13pm on January 31st 2023.

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