A Labour MP has reported receiving death threats and online abuse after a Conservative colleague shared a video questioning her stance on a proposed inquiry into grooming gangs.
Anna Dixon, Labour MP for Shipley in West Yorkshire, said police were investigating after she was targeted with violent and misogynistic messages. She accused Robbie Moore, the Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, of spreading misinformation
about her position on the issue.
Moore posted a video on social media this week claiming that Dixon had misled her constituents about why she voted against a Conservative amendment calling for a national inquiry into grooming gangs. The video alleged she had “dismissed calls for an inquiry since day one.”
Dixon rejected the claim, saying she supported stronger protections for children and only voted against the Conservative proposal because it had been attached as an amendment to the government’s children’s well-being and schools bill. She argued that passing the amendment would have wrecked the wider legislation.
In a statement on Saturday, Dixon said: “I want residents to know I have received threats of death and violence in response to a misleading video shared by the MP for Keighley and Ilkley. These have been reported to the police, and an investigation is underway. It is deeply irresponsible for any MP to put out such blatant misinformation about a colleague.”
She added that Moore’s video omitted part of an email she sent to a constituent earlier this month.
The full version included a statement confirming she would support a Bradford-specific inquiry if the national inquiry concluded one was needed.
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Moore condemned the threats but defended his video, saying it raised “legitimate concerns” about Dixon’s stance.
“I utterly condemn any threats of violence against elected politicians,” he said. “But the video in question is not a personal attack. It highlights a genuine concern that the MP for Shipley has still not given unequivocal backing for a Bradford focus in the national inquiry.”
The Conservative MP noted that he had recently organised a cross-party letter to the prime minister, signed by 98 MPs across six parties, calling for a Bradford inquiry. Dixon did not sign the letter.
Moore added: “Victims, survivors, and leading child abuse lawyers are calling for Bradford to be at the centre of this inquiry. The fact that the MP for Shipley has not explicitly supported this is a legitimate concern.”
