General Election 2024: Sir Bill Wiggin - ‘a man wanted to kill me’

Sir Bill Wiggin, who has lost his North Herefordshire seat to the Greens’ Ellie Chowns, has said the job of MP had become more dangerous in his time.

“After the murder of Sir David Amess, everything changed for the worse,” he said. “It was no longer safe for me to carry out my job in the way I used to.”

And he revealed: “The police have prosecuted a man I have never met, but who wanted to kill me recently, and he pleaded guilty.”

“The wonderful sense of connection with the community and its values are under attack from such people,” he said.

“I urge you to understand this, especially for the safety of our new MP, who must be free to speak up for us and not be bullied or threatened.”

He was glad to have had the opportunity “to help people who through no fault of their own have simply fallen through the cracks, who found they badly needed my assistance to move on with their lives”.

“People have come out and thanked me every day of this campaign,” he said.