Angela Eagle suffers 'treacherous lesbian' abuse as police probe death threat

Labour leadership hopeful Angela Eagle has been sent a death threat
Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images
Joseph Watts14 July 2016
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Angela Eagle today said police are investigating a potential death threat against her and that she has suffered torrents of online abuse including being branded a “treacherous lesbian”.

The Labour leadership hopeful said staff in her office had unplugged phones to prevent a flood of abusive messages.

Just two days ago someone threw a brick through Ms Eagle’s office window. It also emerged today that another prominent Labour figure, Luciana Berger, has suffered vile threats.

Asked on BBC news if she had received death threats Ms Eagle said: “I’m told I have had death threats and the police are looking into it.”

Presenter Victoria Derbyshire then read out some of the abusive messages left on Ms Eagle’s Twitter page including one calling her a “treacherous lesbian” and another saying she is “about as charismatic as herpes”.

Her constituency office had a brick put through the window 
Lauren Brown/PA

Asked whether she thought her window was smashed by Labour members angry at her challenge to Mr Corbyn, the Wallasey MP said: “I haven’t had bricks through the window of my office before and it was the day before the [Labour committee] meeting which decided whether Jeremy should be on the ballot or not.

“I don’t know, but I do know I have been getting huge amounts of bullying threats and nasty messages, let’s put it that way. Maybe the brick was a nasty message too.”

She said workers at the office had left phones unplugged for three weeks because of the level of abuse coming in.

Liverpool Wavertree MP Ms Berger contacted police after she received a message saying she would “get it like Jo Cox did”.

The Labour MP has reportedly received a number of emails that are understood to have included an image of a kitchen knife, as well as warnings telling her to “watch your back Jewish scum.”

Last month Labour MP Jo Cox, 41, was attacked outside her constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire.

The mother of two died after she was shot and stabbed.

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