A Tory MP today told how he was threatened with a knife by a furious man at his office.
Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell said a man made a series of "very wild" allegations about local police and Polish politics.
The man is also alleged to have made a series of racial slurs during the incident.
Mr Barwell told the Standard: "He became increasingly agitated and made some threats to attack me and to kill me."
The MP's office called the police and the man, who was later found to be in possession of a knife, was quickly detained by the officers.
Mr Barwell said: "Obviously as an MP there are often occasions where constituents will get angry because you're not able to help them with what they're upset about.
"But I've never had a situation where I or any of my staff were threatened like this."
The MP has ended the open door policy for constituents at his Wickham Road surgery until further notice after the frightening ordeal on Friday.
In an email to his Croydon Central constituents this week, he revealed what happened and explained people would now have to make an appointment if they wanted to see him.
He wrote: "In the light of this incident, the police have advised that for the moment the office should be locked.
"I have reluctantly taken this advice. I have always wanted to be as accessible as possible, but clearly my first duty is to ensure the safety of the people I employ."
A spokeswoman for the Met Police confirmed they had been called at 2.10pm on June 3 to reports of racially-aggravated harassment.
She said: "A 24-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident.
"He was detained under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act and bailed to a date in July."
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