‘Sledgehammer’ damage to MP’s home may have been caused by fallen sign

Damage to a Labour MP’s home, which was allegedly attacked by a sledgehammer, may have been caused by a fallen sign, The Telegraph understands.

Andrew Western, re-elected as the MP for Stretford and Urmston at the general election, said on Sunday that police had launched an investigation into an incident at his property on Saturday night.

In posts on social media, he said he was “absolutely fine” and “no one was hurt”, but warned that “harassment, intimidation and abuse” of politicians was becoming “an ever more regular occurrence”.

When another user told him to “grow up”, he replied: “I’ll tell you that when someone takes a sledgehammer to your property.”

It has now emerged there is a suspicion that the damage was caused by a sign falling into the house. It is understood this explanation is disputed.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, Mr Western said the alleged incident was being investigated by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as part of Operation Bridger, set up in 2016 after the murder of Jo Cox, the Labour MP.

He thanked the force for its “excellent response”, stressing that “these idiots do not speak for our community, and I will do all I can to ensure they never do.”

On Monday, GMP confirmed that it was looking into reports of “criminal damage” at an address in Urmston. A spokesman said: “We were made aware of reports of criminal damage at a property in Urmston at around 12.30am on Sunday July 7. Enquiries are ongoing.”

In his original post on X, Mr Western wrote:

He added: “The harassment, intimidation and abuse of politicians is not OK and is not normal. That said, it is becoming an ever more regular occurrence. I am proud to represent the people of Stretford and Urmston and I will not be cowed as I seek to serve them to the best of my ability.”

Mr Western did not speculate on the motives of the alleged attacker. He declined to comment further.