Suspected arson attack at Tory MP’s office ‘concerning’, says No 10
Mike Freer, the MP for Finchley and Golders Green, has raised the possibility that the incident could be related to his pro-Israel stance.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A suspected arson attack at the office of Conservative MP Mike Freer is “clearly concerning”, No 10 said.
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said she could not comment on whether the attack was motivated by antisemitism but said it is “critical” that MPs can carry out their work “without fear”.
Mr Freer, whose Finchley and Golders Green constituency is home to a large Jewish community, has raised the possibility of the attack being related to his pro-Israel stance.
Police officers and firefighters from the London Fire Brigade were called to Mr Freer’s constituency office in north London at about 7pm on Christmas Eve.
The Metropolitan Police said the fire happened in a shed at the MP’s office in Ballards Lane, Finchley.
When something flares in the Middle East, the level of attacks in my local area do go up, so sadly it could be to do with my views on the Middle East
Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Mr Freer said a police investigation would look into whether the fire was started by “someone bearing a grudge” or if there were “slightly more nefarious motives”.
He said: “I’m hoping, if you can have an innocent arson attack, it is just someone with a grudge or so on with nothing better to do than cause a fire.
“But sadly I’ve had too many incidents in the past where I’ve been attacked because of my views on the Middle East.
“But also many of my constituents have had similar incidents so it is not an unknown incident in Golders Green.
“When something flares in the Middle East, the level of attacks in my local area do go up, so sadly it could be to do with my views on the Middle East.”
Mr Freer has represented the constituency since 2010 and is parliamentary under-secretary at the Ministry of Justice.
He said there is a “history of attacks on me and my office”.
Last year, Mr Freer told the Old Bailey he and his staff decided to wear stab vests and carry panic alarms after learning that Ali Harbi Ali, who went on to kill Southend West MP Sir David Amess, had first scoped out his Finchley office.
Mr Sunak’s spokeswoman, asked on Wednesday about the MP’s office potentially being targeted, said: “You will appreciate, with an ongoing investigation, I’m limited in what I can say on that.
“However, it is clearly concerning and the Prime Minister’s thoughts are with Mike Freer and his team.
“Speaking more broadly, it is critical that MPs and their staff are able to perform their parliamentary duties safely and without fear.
“You will know that MP security is always kept under constant review.”
She said there is “no place for antisemitism in this country” but said she could not comment further on whether the fire was started in protest against Mr Freer’s stance on the war between Israel and Hamas.
Since Palestinian militants raided Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 240 hostage, there has been a marked increase in antisemitic incidents recorded in Britain, along with a spike in Islamophobic incidents.
Regular pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held in the UK in recent months in protest against the rising death toll in the conflict, with the Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip saying more than 21,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting broke out.
The No 10 spokeswoman said: “I’m not going to get into details while there is an ongoing investigation.
“The Met have issued statements and we will leave them to provide further updates.”
The Met on Wednesday said there had been no significant updates in the case.
In a statement issued previously, the force said there had been no reports of any injuries following the fire.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation as it is believed it may have been started deliberately,” a Met spokesman said.
“Further inquiries will take place.”