A Labour MP has offered to “sit down and talk” with the person who spray-painted a “gay slur” across the front of his constituency office.
Luke Pollard posted a picture of his Plymouth office defaced with red paint with the words: “Pollard is a pedo, report that.”
It is the second time in a fortnight that the Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport MP’s office has been vandalised.
“This latest attack and the common slur against gay people it includes does not speak for the people of Plymouth,” Mr Pollard said in a statement.
In a video posted later to Twitter, he offered to talk with whoever was responsible for the vandalism. He had previously extended the same invitation to the person who wrote “die Blair” on his office last week.
“The way we get through this mess as a country is by building bridges, not building walls,” Mr Pollard said. “So I want you to know the offer is sincere. Let’s sit down and talk about your concerns.
“If you’re angry enough to vandalise an office, let’s see if you’re brave enough to sit down and have a conversation.”
Mr Pollard thanked the police, the city council and his office staff for their support in a series of tweets.
He also thanked constituents for “the most incredible and positive reaction” after the first abusive message, saying: “Lots of people dropped into the office and asked about me and my team’s safety and welfare.”
Labour councillor Kate Taylor, who works for Mr Pollard, wrote on Twitter: “Did not expect to spend my Sunday morning clearing vandalism off our office walls.
“This does nothing except make our jobs harder – very unsettling to go into work not knowing what you’re going to face this time. This is just horrendous and needs to stop. We don’t deserve this.”
The volume of violent threats to MPs has "dramatically increased" since the Brexit referendum, with warnings of rape and murder becoming "commonplace", according to a parliamentary report published last week.
On Friday, a YouGov poll suggested a majority of both Leave and Remain voters believe the risk of violence against MPs and members of the public would be a "price worth paying" to secure their favoured Brexit outcome.
Additional reporting by PA
