Labour MP Feared for His Life During Aggressive Constituent Confrontation

A senior Labour MP has described fearing for his safety and thinking of murdered parliamentary colleagues, including Jo Cox, during an aggressive confrontation with a constituent. Liam Byrne, former minister and MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, told Walsall Magistrates' Court that he and his team felt "under attack" and were "braced for an attack" during the incident last September.

Kevin Sullivan, 52, was found guilty of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or disorderly behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress after overturning Byrne's "community gazebo surgery" and ranting at the MP and his colleagues. The court heard that Sullivan upended the gazebo, shouting about "mosques and grooming gangs" at Byrne.

Byrne, who has been an MP for 22 years, stated that the deaths of Jo Cox and David Amess, and the serious injury of Stephen Timms, all fellow MPs, weighed heavily on his mind. "Two of those friends lost their lives in their constituencies in the course of their duty, and Mr. Timms was very seriously injured. You can't help but fear the worst. I was fearing the worst," Byrne told the court.

The incident occurred as Byrne and two colleagues were packing away equipment at the end of the outdoor surgery. Sullivan approached, asked if a nearby Range Rover belonged to Byrne, and upon learning it did not, remarked, "Well, it will be gone in a few minutes." As Byrne's team continued packing, Sullivan upended the gazebo.

When Byrne righted the "expensive" gazebo, Sullivan crossed back over the road. "He was demanding in an aggressive tone what we were doing in the area," Byrne testified. He explained they were seeking new funding for the area, and when asked what it was for, he mentioned it included fixing parking problems. Sullivan then asked, "Oh you mean mosque parking?" and told Byrne, "Get out of our area and take your grooming gangs with you."

Byrne interpreted this as having a "racialised element" and an attempt to intimidate them. He and his colleagues were left "deeply shaken," and Parliamentary security services were alerted. Byrne now requires two security officers at all his surgeries.

Sullivan, who represented himself, claimed he overturned the gazebo because it had been "negligently" left unattended. He stated Byrne was "storming" towards him and that he told Byrne, "What gives you the right to come here after all your promises turned to lies? Then I said, 'Take your grooming gangs and sling it'." Sullivan maintained he was not aggressive and that a public servant should expect criticism. He added that his dislike was for the Labour Party's agenda, not the MP personally.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram found Byrne to be a "reliable" witness and convicted Sullivan, stating, "What you did caused him to be shaken." Sullivan was released on conditional bail and will be sentenced on November 26 at Birmingham Magistrates' Court.

Byrne, who entered parliament in 2004, previously gained notoriety in 2010 for leaving a note for his successor stating, "I'm afraid there is no money. Good luck!" The note was later used by political opponents to criticize Labour's handling of the economy.