A Labour MP’s constituency office has been gutted in a suspected arson attack.
Washington and Gateshead South MP Sharon Hodgson’s office at Vermont House in Concord, Washington, Tyne and Wear, went up in flames in the early hours of Thursday.
Aerial images show the roof in one corner has been destroyed and much of the building has been damaged. Graffiti on a wall read: ‘328 days blood on your hands.’
A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage over the fire.
A spokesperson for Ms Hodgson said: ‘We will not be commenting or speculating while there is an ongoing police investigation, what we are clear on is there is no place for this kind of violence in our society.
‘Sharon will not be deterred and will continue to support her constituents in Washington and Gateshead South as she does day in, day out.’
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Downing Street condemned the attack on Ms Hodgson’s office, saying politicians should be able to go about their work ‘freely and with confidence’.
The fire at Ms Hodgson’s office followed a ‘a number of incidents that she’s experienced’, Liverpool, Riverside MP Kim Johnson told the House of Commons on Thursday.
On social media, City of Durham Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy wrote: ‘After the shocking murder of a political influencer mere hours ago in the US, MPs in the UK woke to scenes of one of our colleagues’ offices being targeted.
‘No matter which part of the political spectrum you fall into – this is intimidation by thugs and they must face the full force of the law.
‘Serious thought needs to be given to how this impacts staff in constituency offices, like Sharon’s, who frankly work their arses off every day to support local people.
‘Anyone supporting this type of violence toward MPs and their teams needs to take a long hard look in the mirror.’
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