Alexander Stafford: Former Rotherham MP and his family targeted in hate campaign
Former MP Alex Stafford and his family today revealed how they have been the target of a hate campaign before, during and even after he lost his Parliamentary seat.
On the day of his Rother Valley general election defeat, the tyres of his car were deliberately punctured.
His house has seemingly been under surveillance and photographed by an unknown figure.
And, as recently as last week, the Conservative and his wife Natalie discovered that a fake Facebook account had been set up in her name, bearing a family profile picture.
This follows a previous harassment order issued against a political opponent - although there is no evidence to suggest the same person is involved.
Mrs Stafford never leaves their home in the Harthill area of Rotherham with her children aged four and two without somebody alongside them as a precaution.
She also revealed she was harassed by a man who lunged at her. The couple detailed the abuse and intimidation they had suffered in an exclusive interview.
Nails hammered into tyres
"It was a bruising campaign, my wife was abused in Thurcroft, on election day we had nails hammered in the tyres of our car," said Mr Stafford.
The politician described local police as "extremely supportive," but he claimed he'd discovered on previous occasions that when "things get pushed up higher up the chain, they get less helpful."
Mrs Stafford stressed that insulating their daughters from negative influences had been essential.
"You never know what is going to happen. Since 2022, I have never left the house, with the girls, without somebody with me," she said.
She also described how a hostile political opponent "came at me, aggressively" when she was on her own, on the campaign trail.
The fake account, set up in Natalie's name, and the fact messages had been sent to people before it was closed down, disturbed the couple over the last week.
The arrival of a second Facebook group, apparently supporting the ex-MP's work in the area, has also made the couple sceptical of its underlying intentions.
Natalie, who works in a senior role for global intelligence and cyber security consultancy S-RM, said they prioritised protection even after her husband ceased being an MP.
There was "nothing available to them" from a security standpoint, on a day-to-day basis, she said.
The 35-year-old wife gave an insight into her mindset when she recalled how she froze the moment that she heard breaking news that an MP (it turned to be Sir David Amess) had been stabbed to death.
‘You just panic’
She had no real reason to believe it had been her husband but said: "You just panic. There are not that many of them."
However, Mrs Stafford - who has taken part in 'hostile-environment' training for her work - felt her husband should "keep on going" in the political space despite the threats and harassment it can attract.
"You can never let these people get away with what they are doing. You can't let bad people win," she added.
The 37-year-old MP lost his seat to Labour's Jake Richards in July. He admits the Conservatives' national position - they had lost the trust of the public, he said - had ended his hopes for another term in the Rotherham constituency.
The arrival of Reform UK had also substantially bitten into their share of the votes.
"It has taken a while for me and my family to recover from the campaign," he says. "I have had nails driven into the tyres of my car, we've had someone loitering outside my house taking photographs, and this weird Facebook account set up in my wife's name, only last week. That was bizarre.
"But I want to keep fighting for the Rother Valley and I would want to stand again for Parliament."
Mr Stafford lost his Rother Valley seat to Labour, by just under 1,000 votes. Some 15,025 voted for him compared to 21,970 in 2019.
"The public had lost faith in the Conservative government and frankly did not believe what we were saying. It was about a lack of trust.
"Reform's 7,679 votes in Rother Valley showed that people were annoyed with Conservatives - although they had no love for Labour either.
"Labour didn't win the election...we lost it. We promised things, like Rwanda (sending some asylum seekers there) and we didn't deliver."
After losing his job, he had to bid goodbye to paid staff members both in Westminster and locally.
"It was very sad," he said, describing his feelings as "upset, numbness, sadness, frustration” but saying “I don't think we could have done any more on the ground”.
Despite the challenges, Mr Stafford said, generally, he had loved the job and had never worked harder at anything, describing it as "full-on, 24 hours a day”.
“I love the area, I love the people and I want to get back and stand again if selected by the process," he said.
He is considering trying to land a job in the energy market, (he used to work for Shell) until the next election.
"Being an MP is a job like no other. I feel as though there is a lot of unfinished business," he said, referencing the £12m regeneration of Dinnington town centre and improved links between Maltby and Rotherham Hospital.
"These things can take years to get going and I want to finish the job I started and make sure they are delivered."