Michael Gove targeted by anti-lockdown protesters in Westminster

Michael Gove has been targeted by anti-lockdown protesters who shouted obscenities at him as he walked alone in Westminster towards his office in an incident branded “abhorrent” by Downing Street.

He was the latest figure to be harassed by hordes of people protesting Covid restrictions – most of which have been lifted – after England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and the journalists Nick Watt and Jeremy Vine were also targeted.

The incident on Tuesday came amid heightened concerns over the security of MPs after the fatal stabbing last week of David Amess as he met constituents in his Southend West seat.

Gove was filmed arriving at the communities department he took over in last month’s cabinet reshuffle. He was accosted by people who surrounded him and hurled insults including “absolute wanker” and “fucking idiot”. One person pointed a camera in his face and asked him “how do you justify the illegal lockdown being pushed on this country?” while another appeared to shout “arrest Michael Gove”.

The cabinet minister, who was strolling with a coffee in one hand and a red folder in the other, did not engage. Police officers arrived and began to pull the protesters away within seconds. One officer asked him where he was going, to which Gove calmly pointed at the door to his office a few metres ahead. He had a mask thrown at him by the crowd but safely entered the building within 40 seconds of the incident beginning.

Downing Street said the “harassment and intimidation of anyone going about their daily business is completely unacceptable” and urged the police to “take this kind of behaviour seriously”.

Boris Johnson’s spokesperson added: “While peaceful protest remains an important cornerstone of our democracy, threatening, intimidating or abusive language cannot be tolerated.”

Asked whether the government was concerned about an increase in harassment by anti-vaxxers, he said: “What is completely unacceptable is for those who disagree with our approach to try and target individuals – be they ministers, or indeed schools, or parents and children. That sort of behaviour is abhorrent and will never be tolerated in a democratic society.”

The Metropolitan police said they were aware of a protest in Westminster that had been marching to a number of locations and that when Gove was targeted officers “were immediately on scene, where they safely escorted him to a nearby building”.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said the actions of protesters were “just wrong”. “Politicians should be able to go out without being intimidated or fearing for their safety,” he said.