No place for personal vitriol in politics, May's spokesman says

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on Monday that there was no place for personal vitriol in politics, after weekend media reports where an anonymous critic said "assassination is in the air".

Sunday newspapers reported unnamed lawmakers saying May should "bring her own noose" when she meets parliamentary colleagues on Wednesday, and that the moment where a knife would be "stuck in her front and twisted," was coming.

"I don't intend to dignify those specific anonymous comments with a response," the spokesman said.

"What I would say is that the Prime Minister has always been very clear that we must set a tone in public discourse which is neither dehumanising nor derogatory, personal vitriol has no place in our politics."

(Reporting by William James, writing by Alistair Smout; editing by Kate Holton)