December 25th 2023.
Last Christmas Eve, there was a suspected arson attack at the office of Conservative MP Mike Freer in north London. Police were immediately called to the scene at Ballards Lane in Finchley, with the London Fire Brigade also arriving to assist.
The building, which was once the constituency office of Margaret Thatcher, suffered severe damage from the fire. Mr Freer, who has been the local MP since 2010 and is parliamentary under-secretary at the Ministry of Justice, said the rear of the building was destroyed.
The Metropolitan Police have since stated that they are treating the blaze as a deliberate act and that there were no reports of any injuries. Tory chairman Richard Holden referred to the attack as 'utterly appalling.'
Finchley and Golders Green Conservatives took to social media to post an image of the destruction in the aftermath of the fire, with the group saying that responses to messages and emails may not be as prompt as usual while they work to get back up and running.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation and until suspects are caught, we will not know the motivation. However, it is a stark reminder of the dangers MPs and their staff face in the current political climate, with Mr Freer previously speaking out about needing to wear stab vests and use mobile panic alarms.
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