GENERAL Election candidates received four times more online abuse than in 2017, new research suggests.

Candidates were the subject of abuse or insulting remarks in 16.5 per cent of their mentions or replies about them on Twitter, according to political technology company PoliMonitor.

The research analysed 139,564 tweets sent on November 11, which either mentioned or replied to the 2,503 election candidates who are on Twitter

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The report comes after more than 50 MPs chose not to contest the General Election, with four female politicians citing issues of bullying as their reason for standing down.

PoliMonitor’s research showed that party leaders Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson were targeted most frequently, with Diane Abbott, who has previously spoken out about abuse, receiving 885 abusive or insulting tweets over one day.

The report comes as it was announced that newly elected MPs will take part in a security and wellbeing induction session for the first time, covering cyber security, staying safe on and off the parliamentary estate, and wellbeing services.

In October, a foundation set up in the name of murdered MP Jo Cox attacked the "abhorrent" abuse aimed at female MPs, after four women cited bullying as their reason for standing down from Parliament.