Woman appears in court over MP stabbing

A woman charged with attempting to murder Labour MP Stephen Timms has appeared in court today.

Roshonara Choudhary, 21, stabbed the East Ham MP twice in the stomach during an appointment at one of his surgeries for constituents in East London last Friday.

She appeared in court only to confirm her name and address. She was remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on June 1.

Timms underwent surgery at the Royal Hospital London over the weekend and is expected to be discharged in the coming days to continue his recovery at home.

The MP is well known to Christians locally for his role as Labour’s first ever Vice Chair for Faith Groups.

His stabbing has prompted a call from Leader of the Commons Sir George Young for a cross-party discussion on the safety of MPs when meeting constituents. He is due to meet party representatives this week to discuss safety provisions.

Sir Young was quoted by the Press Association as saying: “It’s vital that we do not let this incident affect the public’s right to meet their MP.

“Regularly meeting their constituents face to face is an integral part of an MP’s work and it is especially important at a time when we need to rebuild public trust in Parliament.

“But it’s also crucial that MPs feel able to carry out their constituency duties without feeling vulnerable to abuse or assault.”