Public servants are being targeted and MPs have been murdered. But we will prevent fear from destroying our politics | Dan Jarvis

Every day, I hear appalling stories of the abuse suffered by people who step forward to represent their communities and serve our country. It is shocking to see the level of harassment and intimidation faced by those in our parliament, our town halls and elsewhere in public service. Every story I hear only increases my determination to stop it happening and keep those who serve safe.

The horrific murders of my friends Jo Cox and David Amess were not isolated tragedies. They sent shockwaves through parliament and our democracy. Their loss left behind grief and a fear that shapes our politics.

Robust political debate remains a vital part of our democracy – it must be protected. However, the increasing abuse faced by those in public office is not part of that discourse.

At last year’s general election, more than half of all candidates received abuse or intimidation. Nearly all current members of parliament have experienced it.

Some sitting MPs are now beginning to self-censor; changing how they go about their daily lives and how they engage with constituents, even what they say and maybe how they vote, out of concern for their safety and that of their staff and families.

The diversity of people willing to stand for election is shrinking. Some parties are already finding it harder to recruit women. They are bearing the overwhelming brunt of threats and abuse online – and sickeningly, it is often sexualised. Meanwhile, the abuse facing public office holders such as mayors, councillors and police crime commissioners – and even candidates for these roles – today is significantly worse than in the past. We’ve seen a disturbing escalation both online and in person.

Bricks have been thrown through windows while children were asleep. Threats sent through the post. Staff members have faced vile online abuse. And many have been verbally and physically harassed on their local high street. I talk to those affected, and I know how deeply it strikes at them and their families. Left unchecked, it will have a chilling effect on our democracy, with good people stepping away and good people deciding not to step forward in the first place.

We run the real risk of fewer voices contributing to our national debate, and our democracy will be all the poorer for it. No one should be deterred from standing for public office because they fear for their safety.

Unless we stand together against this, our democracy will be insidiously undermined – through a subtle, persistent and deeply corrosive erosion of voice. I am not willing to accept this as some kind of new normal.

A celebration of the life of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox in Trafalgar Square, London, 22 June 2016. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

As security minister, I am totally committed and determined to ensure that those who take part in our democracy are protected, and that those responsible are deterred and punished.

This is why we are bringing in a new law to restrict protests outside the homes of public office holders.

This robust measure addresses existing legislation, which does not adequately reflect the impact of protests at the private homes of public office holders, nor account for the nature of demonstrations we have increasingly seen – sustained, targeted and designed to intimidate.

In Britain, we must hold firm to the principle that public service should never come at the cost of personal safety. Yet in recent years, we’ve seen protests deliberately timed to coincide with children leaving for school, families disrupted in their own homes and elected representatives forced to weigh their duty against the wellbeing of those closest to them.

This is not how it should be. We cannot bring political disagreement to the doorstep of someone’s family. We must not make children collateral in a campaign. We cannot use intimidation as a tool of persuasion. Respect – for each other, for our institutions and for the private lives of those who serve – is absolutely fundamental to our democracy.

The right to peaceful protest is not in question. It is a cherished freedom, and there are many appropriate places to exercise it – public spaces and parliament itself. But the doorstep of a private home is not one of them.

This new legislation is a necessary and proportionate step to safeguard democratic participation and ensure that those who serve can do so without fear for their families. It is about drawing a line – not against protest, but against intimidation.

It’s part of a wider strategy to strengthen democratic protections that this government is driving forward, through the defending democracy taskforce, which I chair, working closely with the police and parliament.

I will not let up in this work to protect our democratic institutions and processes. Public service should never come with fear for one’s safety. We all have a role to play in defending our democracy from those who seek to undermine it. Intimidation must not be allowed to win.

• Dan Jarvis is security minister and Labour MP for Barnsley North

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