Thug ‘paid £40 to punch Birmingham councilor in face’ amid catalog of abuse

A troubled young thug was offered £40 to punch Birmingham City Councilor Morriam Jan in the face, she revealed. It left her too scared to leave her house without people to “watch her”, said mother Jan, who represents the Perry Barr ward in Birmingham.

The animosity worsened during the election, with desperate bids to win votes “at any cost” intensifying the abuse, she said. Jan, 46, was speaking out following a new campaign by the Local Government Association (LGA), the Electoral Commission and the Jo Cox Foundation – named after the murdered Labor MP – to try to end aggressive and abusive ‘debates’, especially around elections.

With a general election due this year and antagonism and misinformation rife, she said she worries where it will all end. Jan was on the receiving end of an abusive campaign in 2017 and 2018 when she was the Liberal Democrat candidate in Perry Barr for a city council seat. She faced a barrage of racist abuse and a determined effort to “keep an Asian woman off the board,” she said.

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Attempts were made to weaken and undermine her and lies were circulated in an attempt to scare her, she said. “A young man with a troubled life told how he was offered £40 in cash to ‘run and punch me in the face.’ Who would do that?” she said. Several incidents have been reported to West Midlands Police – she said officers have been “wonderful” and “very supportive” over the years.

She said she continued to face bullying and stressful incidents that should not happen in local politics. “At its peak I had to have someone by my side all the time, I always had a colleague with me at ward meetings. I was determined not to give in to the bullying and the audience supported me.

“I want more people who look like me, especially women, to want to enter public life, but sometimes it’s very difficult. Debate is absolutely fair, but personal abuse is unacceptable.”

In a recent council debate, her Lib Dem colleague, Councilor Jon Hunt, said of her experiences: “Councillor Jan faced a door-to-door election campaign against her. Residents were being told lies in an attempt to get her out of the Council.” He said she had been targeted by rival supporters in a way he had not been, making it clear it was “prejudicial behaviour”.

In a separate recent incident, a man who sent her racist and homophobic emails was convicted last year. Terry Cheshire, 48, was given a suspended prison sentence and warned never to contact her again after admitting two counts of sending emails that were abusive, indecent or threatening and had the purpose of causing suffering.

Councilor Nicky Brennan, a member of the council’s Labor leadership’s equality cabinet, who has herself been the subject of nasty abuse, said everyone seeking or holding public office should expect to be treated with dignity and respect, but sometimes this was missing. “It’s hard to tell people ‘come and be a councillor’ when they can see the vitriol and abuse we get online.”

Recent LGA research found that three quarters of councilors in England and Wales experienced some form of intimidation or abuse during the 2023 local election campaign. A survey by the Electoral Commission also found that almost a quarter, 24 per cent , of candidates in the last set of local elections experienced someone intentionally making them feel unsafe, and half of them reported it to the police.

The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, warned that the rise in abuse of local politicians was a threat to democracy and could put off talented people from becoming councillors. The threat is growing.

The LGA’s Debate Not Hate campaign aims to help tackle the issue by raising public awareness of the role of councilors in their communities. While most abuse is low-level, a growing number of counselors have experienced more severe abuse, including stalking and threats of violence, some of which have resulted in prosecutions.

Councilor Marianne Overton, chair of the LGA’s Civility in Public Life Steering Group, said: “Being a councilor is one of the most unique and rewarding jobs you can have. It is very important that all participants are treated with respect, focusing on the debate itself and without abuse and intimidation. It is deeply disturbing to hear reports of councilors being harassed and intimidated while doing their jobs.

“It cannot become the norm that councilors need to install CCTV and panic alarms in their homes to feel safe while carrying out their democratic duty. Anyone, regardless of background or political affiliation, should feel safe becoming a councillor. We have to do everything we can. we can stamp out abuses in public life and encourage healthy debate if we want to save the future of our local democracy.”

Su Moore, CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation, added: “Abuse and intimidation of elected politicians is a threat to democracy in this country. The Jo Cox Civility Commission’s Call to Action, published earlier this year, has a clear set of recommendations which, if implemented, can have a real impact on this serious issue at national and local level. We fully support the Local Government Association’s Debate not Hate campaign and their call for respect during elections.”