Shock moment Labour MP is attacked and mugged by balaclava-clad gang for £1,400 iPhone near London home_Nhy
This is the harrowing moment a group of balaclava-clad thugs mugged and attacked a Labour MP, snatching his £1,400 iPhone out of his hands on a central London street last night.
Chris Webb, the MP for Blackpool South was targeted by a group of around four men as he returned to his flat in the city, shortly after collecting a parcel from a corner shop in Lambeth.
The terrifying footage shows the 6ft politician making his way down the quiet street as the criminals sped up behind him on electric bikes before swopping in and nabbing his phone in a matter of seconds.
As the gang escaped, he locked his iPhone using his Apple smartwatch and when the police came, he helped them to track the phone to a location where an individual was caught with a bag of phones and arrested. His own phone was not recovered.
Moments before the shocking attack, the 38-year-old had been on the phone with his wife Portia, who he told that he was going to hang up as he was in an area he didn’t know well and was apprehensive.
Harrowing footage shows the MP outside of the corner shop in Lambeth only seconds before he is mugged of his £1.400 iPhone
Around four balaclava-clad thugs descended within seconds on the politician nabbing his phone out of his hands
Labour MP Chris Webb was last night ‘attacked and mugged’ as he was returning to his flat in London
The CCTV footage shows Mr Webb attempting to give the thugs chase as they sped off with his phone into the night.
Mohammad Khan, who owns the shop where the CCTV footage was taken, told The Sun that the politician who often comes to the corner store to collect parcels and was a ‘nice guy’.
Recalling the harrowing incident, Mr Webb told the Mail: ‘I was walking back from Parliament on Monday evening about 10pm and had been on the phone to my wife and checking in on my son,
‘I said to my wife: “I’m going to put my phone away because I don’t know this area,” before putting it in my pocket.
‘I then popped into a local shop to pick up a delivery. I had walked four or five steps after I left the shop and went to get my phone out to call her back.
‘They came up behind – they were deadly silent. They were wearing balaclavas and were on bikes.
‘The first I knew of it was when they grabbed my arms. Then they snatched the phone from my pocket and cycled off.
‘I shouted and swore at them and considered giving chase. They were cheering and laughing. I realised I was outnumbered so I left it.’
Labour candidate Chris Webb waits with his wife Portia Webb and son Cillian Douglas Webb when he won the Blackpool South by-election in May
He said he was ‘shocked and frustrated’ by the ordeal, adding: ‘I’m a big lad – a 6ft 2in rugby player so I don’t normally worry about this stuff.’
The 38-year-old, who won a landslide victory in the Blackpool South by-election in May, praised the ‘swift response’ by Metropolitan Police officers following the terrifying attack.
He added: ‘I want to thank the Met Police for their swift response and support. The officers who assisted me went above and beyond. They are a remarkable credit to the force.’
Fellow MPs sent Mr Webb messages of support, including Chris Bryant who said: ‘I hope you’re OK. Sending you best wishes.’
Other Labour MPs including Kate Osborne, Josh Fenton-Glynn and Jacob Collier echoed Mr Bryant’s well wishes.
Mr Webb became the MP for Blackpool South after Labour’s massive by-election victory in May. He received 10,825 votes at the time, with the Tories embarrassingly trailing behind with just 3,218.
He is the son of a postman and a teaching assistant who wanted to ‘follow in their footsteps’ into the public sector.
In an interview with Sky News, he revealed that he first joined the picket line aged two when his father was on strike. He has been a Labour Party member for more than 20 years.
Mr Webb, who described himself as ‘Blackpool born and bred’, lives in his constituency with his wife Portia and baby Cillian. But he also has a flat in London, where he was returning to when he was attacked.
Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner meet MP Chris Webb after his victory in Blackpool South
The MP was also the deputy police and crime commissioner for Lancashire between 2018 and 2021 and a councillor for Manchester City Council from 2015 to 2018.
Following the attack, he tweeted: ‘Luckily I have no injuries and I am ok.
‘The officers who assisted me went above and beyond,’ he said. ‘They are a remarkable credit to the force.’
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘Officers were called at 21:55hrs on Monday, 4 November following reports of a robbery on Lambeth Walk.
‘The victim was approached by a group of men who stole his phone from his hand.
‘Enquiries remain ongoing.’
