Politicians from across the region have slammed the “appalling” fire at the office of a North East MP following a man's arrest.
The office of Sharon Hodgson, Labour MP for Washington and Gateshead South, was targeted in a suspected arson in the early hours of Thursday (September 11) morning.
Northumbria Police has cordoned off the office, on Vermont House in Concord, Washington and confirmed a man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Emergency services attended and no-one is reported to have been injured in the incident.
“A man in his 20s has subsequently been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and arson.
“He remains in police custody at this time.”
MP’s from across the region have expressed their solidarity with Ms Hodgson, but also their shock at the incident.
Lola McEvoy, Labour MP for Darlington, said: “It's utterly awful news, Sharon is a lovely woman as well as a brilliant MP.
“It's sad that this has to be said but regardless of politics standing for and serving in elected office must be safe.
“The targeting and intimidation and harassment of politicians and their staff cannot be tolerated.
“This action is a damning reflection of the times we live in.”
City of Durham MP, Mary Kelly Foy also posted a statement on social media condemning the “intimidation”.
Writing on Facebook, Ms Foy said: “Sending love and support to my friend Sharon Hodgson MP and her team today after another attack on their office building.
“No matter which part of the political spectrum you fall into – this is intimidation by thugs, and they must face the full force of the law.”
Ms Foy also noted that the suspected arson attack on Ms Hodgson’s office came hours after the “shocking” murder of US political commentator Charlie Kirk.
“Anyone supporting this type of violence toward MPs and their teams needs to take a long hard look in the mirror.”
The Labour MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby, Andy McDonald, also raised the fire during a question in the House of Commons.
He said: “I’m sure I speak for the whole House in sending our best wishes to our colleague in Washington and Gateshead South for the appalling fire at her office overnight and send our very best wishes to her and her staff.”
Graffiti was also sprayed on the office walls, which said: "328 days blood on your hands".
A spokesperson for Ms Hodgson said: “An incident occurred overnight at Sharon’s office.
“We will not be commenting or speculating while there is an ongoing police investigation, what we are clear on is there is no place for this kind of violence in our society.
“Sharon will not be deterred and will continue to support her constituents in Washington and Gateshead South as she does day in, day out.
“Constituents should get in touch with their issues by emailing in the usual way.”
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The Government said the “thoughts of the whole House” will be with Ms Hodgson as MP’s from across the country have also reacted to the devastating fire.
The MP for Liverpool Riverside, Kim Johnson, offered her support to Ms Hodgson. She said: “I’d also like to offer my support to my honourable friend, the member for Washington and Gateshead.
“This incident follows a number of incidents that she’s experienced. It’s out of order.”
Following the fire in Washington, a spokesperson for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: “We can confirm that at the height of the incident, seven appliances, including an aerial ladder platform, attended a building fire in Washington during the early hours of this morning.
“The emergency call was received by our Control Room at 00.12, and the first crew arrived on Woodland Terrace in Concord within four minutes.
“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus (BA) used jets and a hose reel to extinguish the fire and worked alongside blue light colleagues to make the scene safe.
“No casualties were reported.”
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust's Op Courage unit, which helps people leaving or who have left the armed services with their mental health, was based in Vermont House.
It said appointments have been rescheduled for other sites.
CNTW trust group director Andy Airey said: “Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our patients and staff.
“We have robust contingency plans in place for incidents such as this, which we activated immediately.
“Whilst the fire has impacted the site, the delivery of our services has not been affected.
“All face-to-face appointments for today and tomorrow have been moved to remote consultations or relocated to alternative sites. No appointments have been cancelled.
“We are currently preparing one of our hospital sites to serve as a temporary base for Op Courage, which will be operational from Monday.”
Charity base NPUK, that supports families affected by Niemann-Pick disease was also impacted by the blaze.
The charity said: “We have been dealing with threats, graffiti and demonstrations targeted at the MP in our office complex for many months, and this appears to be the culmination, although nothing concrete has been ascertained as of yet.”
The post added: “This is a huge shock to the entire team, times for small charities are harder than ever and this is the absolute last thing we needed.
“In the coming days we will contact our insurers, construct a continuity plan and seek legal advice if required.”
The charity has set up a fundraising page to help it continue, while stressing it will do all it can for affected families and patients.
It said: “As an organisation we deal with a rare disease… we made it thorough the struggles of Covid… and we will make it through this. Thank you x.”
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