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Wallasey MP Angela Eagle has said she has been advised by police to stop holding public advice surgeries.

The MP says counter terrorism officers have advised her to cancel the regular surgeries in which she helps local constituents.

Ms Eagle said she would remain available to help members of the public but they would now need to contact her via email or phone.

Ms Eagle told the ECHO: “Because we have been getting so much abuse direct to the office and the advice surgeries are normally done in public [the police] have sent me an email advising me to cancel them.”

It follows a turbulent month for the MP who was part of a mass resignation by many of the Labour shadow cabinet and she said the decision to cancel surgeries was made in light of “the abuse that I’ve been getting over the leadership stuff”.

This week a man arrested in Paisley, Scotland after death threats were allegedly made in an email to Ms Eagle was released on police bail.

Ms Eagle said the police “basically think it might not be safe – they do not want them to go ahead at all”.

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She said: “I think it’s also in the aftermath of what happened to Jo Cox . I am going to take their [police] advice this time, but people can still contact my office by phone and email.

“They are talking to me about future arrangements in terms of security.

“It’s with great reluctance that I’m doing this, but the safety of my staff is paramount.”

The MP said she does not usually operate the surgeries during August and will be looking at bringing in new arrangements for September when they would usually start again.

After quitting her role as shadow business secretary days after the Brexit vote to quit the EU Ms Eagle then became the first Labour MP to openly challenge Jeremy Corbyn over concerns about the party’s prospects in an election under his leadership.

But this was swiftly followed by threats of a bid to deselect her by parts of the Wallasey Constituency Labour Party (CLP) which had reiterated its support for Corbyn and urged the MP to support him.

The MP has also had a brick thrown through a window in the building where her constituency office is based the day after she announced she would run for the party leadership, while the have been other reports of threats and intimidation – although these have been strongly disputed by senior members of the Wallasey CLP opposed to Ms Eagle.

The MP has since withdrawn from the Labour leadership race and backs Welsh MP Owen Smith’s bid to oust Jeremy Corbyn and the Wallasey CLP has been suspended by the Labour party while it investigates these allegations .

The MP had earlier welcomed the investigation by party bosses and today said: “I can’t anticipate what will happen, that’s a matter for the party’s compliance department – but the party does have strict rule about threats misogyny, homophobic comments and disorder in meetings and they need to be properly respected.”

She said there are signed letters from “about 17 or 19 people who were at that meeting and saw what was going on”.

Angela Eagle’s constituency can contact her via email angela.eagle.mp@parliament.uk, and her constituency office number is 0151 637 1979