Labour's Diane Abbott has spoken out about the abuse she receives on social media, telling Sky News there is a case for a parliamentary inquiry into the "appalling" vitriol directed at MPs.

The shadow home secretary told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that her staff try not to let her walk around her Hackney constituency on her own, such is the level of hate.

Ms Abbott said the abuse has included being called "a b****, a n*****, rape threats, people saying I should be hanged and it reached a particular pitch in the last few weeks".

"I thought to myself, had I known it would be like this, 30 years on from being elected I would've thought twice about running for Parliament at all," she said.

And Ms Abbott, who was the first black woman elected to Parliament, said she fears the abuse could become physical.


"For me, first of all it kind of does get in your head, it kind of does demoralise you. Even though you know it shouldn't do, it does make you doubt yourself.

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"When Jo Cox was unfortunately attacked and died, of course your first thought was for her children and her husband and her friends and family and the people of Batley and Spen who lost a great MP.

"But you also thought, 'You know, maybe this isn't all just abuse, maybe stuff can happen.'"

Ms Abbott said Facebook and Twitter should do more to shutdown people sending racist and sexist abuse.

Asked if there is a problem with white men becoming radicalised on the internet, Ms Abbott said: "I think it's become turbo-charged.

"When I was a new MP if you wanted to send racist abuse you wrote a letter in green ink usually, and you got one or two of those a week.

"Now you can press a button and threaten to rape someone.

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"The more some of these guys see this stuff online, the more they become encouraged and emboldened.

"And it's become turbo-charged and it's become worse and it's also as if they want to drive some of us out of politics."

Ms Abbott said the abuse was part of a "concerted attempt to delegitimise women in politics" and called on MPs to stand together against it.

Conservative MP Helen Grant told Sky News Ms Abbott's call for a parliamentary inquiry has her "full backing".

The former minister said: "Like her, I know of others who have suffered racial, religious and misogynistic abuse including MPs and other good people who work in and around politics and public life.

"Thus far I have not personally received this type of abuse but Diane's call for an inquiry will certainly have my full backing."

Some MPs feel a parliamentary inquiry may not be the best approach to the problem, but that pressure on the internet giants over online abuse should be kept up.

Maria Miller, the Tory MP and chair of the women and equalities select committee, said the Government and Parliament should press the social media companies to take more responsibility or face financial sanctions.

She said women in the public eye did experience the "worst end" of abuse, but that any new measures must take into account the impact of online abuse on children.