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Politicians who stood in December’s general election have overwhelmingly reported a “nastier” campaign than previous polls, with candidates facing death threats, street harassment and racist abuse.
More than two-thirds (69%) of the candidates surveyed by Compassion In Politics said the campaign had been either “much nastier” or “a little nastier” than past elections.
The candidates were interviewed anonymously and had stood for parties including Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.
In an election triggered after a year of rancour and chaos in Westminster and division over Brexit in the country, the candidates reported disturbing incidents such as “a very serious death threat”.
One spoke of “online trolling on an organised level and racist comments” and being “intimidated on a street near my house by a group of activists” who “crowded around, blocked my path and shouted my name and for me to stand down”.
Another candidate reported abuse on the doorstep while out canvassing, noting that: “One voter told my colleague: ‘If I had a gun I’d shoot you.’”
A third bemoaned “the bloke who threatened to punch one of our activists”.
And one woman reported “misogyny towards me and other female candidates” including “yelling, emails, trolling my campaign page”.
I have been bullied, attacked, insulted and belittled
Many candidates mentioned online abuse, and several mentioned physical intimidation and abuse or aggression at hustings.
Internal party battles also played out during the campaign, with one candidate saying: “I have been bullied, attacked, insulted and belittled – mainly by my own party members, who wanted a candidate from a different faction.
“I witnessed other candidates being abused and threatened by party members too.”
And the vast majority of the candidates (88%) found the election less honest than previous campaigns.
“I felt the campaigns portrayed […] were tainted by lies,” one said.
“I also felt in a number of different ways it was about manipulating the electorate, not empowering them.”
The candidates’ stories add to a flurry of troubling incidents reported during the campaign.
Matt Hawkins, co-director of Compassion in Politics, said: “The 2019 general election was one of the most toxic, nasty, and divisive in living memory.
“But it doesn’t have to continue in that vain.
“Our survey of candidates revealed a chink of light, an ember of hope.
“Candidates reported to us that having taken our pledge to ‘stop the nastiness’, they felt empowered to talk to their opponents about the need for respect, kindness, and inclusion and in many instances discovered that desire was reciprocated.
“It shows that at heart most of us want to conduct politics differently – nastiness doesn’t have to be the norm.
“Our job now is to take that spirit, that desire for change, and create a groundswell that creates a new kind of politics. We will be working with candidates, activists, politicians, and the public on making changes to our political system that embed a new culture of compassion, inclusion, and cooperation.”
Compassion In Politics surveyed 68 election candidates.