The complaint had been made to the police by a man from Leicester who disagreed with Creasy’s campaign against misogyny. Leicestershire Police gave the man an informal punishment, citing that the messages he had sent to the MP did not meet the threshold for a criminal offence.

Creasy expressed her concern that this incident may lead to public figures’ children being targeted. “My children now have a social services record and it sets the green light that in public life, you can target these children. I think most people would think that’s unacceptable,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

The council panel, made up of social workers, ultimately decided that no action was needed; however, the complaint remains on the record. The MP has since called for a caution against the offender, as this would have meant the details would have gone into the police intelligence database.

Creasy highlighted that such incidents may deter women from entering politics. “This is the reason why a lot of women are put off. It’s not a matter of free speech, the police acted as if his free speech to argue without any evidence at all – he’d never met me, seen my children, he’d never been in a room with us; he simply disagreed with my views,” she said.

Leicestershire Police told the complainant not to contact Creasy again, and there has been no report of further unwanted contact. The force stated that it remains committed to keeping women and girls safe and will listen to concerns and tackle violence.