Claudia Webbe MP appears in court on charge of harassment

MP Claudia Webbe threatened to send naked pictures of a woman to her children, a court has heard today. Susannah Stevens, prosecuting, also said Webbe made numerous short silent phone calls from a withheld number to Ms Merrit.

Webbe, 56, also allegedly called 59-year-old Michelle Merritt “a slag” and made a threat relating to acid.

The MP, who appeared in court on Monday, denies the single count of harassment.

The alleged campaign of harassment, lasted from September 1 2018 to April 26 last year.

It was claimed that Webbe’s jealousy of the complainant’s friendship with her partner motivated the campaign.

Webbe was elected as Labour MP for Leicester East in December 2019.

She served as a councillor in Islington from 2010 to 2018 and was a member of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee. Earlier in her career, she was a political adviser to Ken Livingstone during his tenure as Mayor of London.

She was suspended from the Labour whip pending the outcome of the case but remains a party member.