Detectives are investigating a gruesome death threat sent to MP Julian Brazier featuring a picture of a headless corpse.

The Canterbury and Whitstable MP received the vile email with an explicit message stating he and his family would be killed.

It comes just weeks after son John Brazier, a city councillor, was sent a letter threatening to make him “pay” for the EU referendum result.

Mr Brazier, who has represented the city since 1987, says he has reported the matter to police.

“I would say that it’s either a terrorist or somebody who is mentally ill,” he said.

“If you’re in a public position then you have to accept the fact that these things happen.

“But the fact that after the business with John, the advice we’d had was that we should notify police if it happened again.”

Mr Brazier’s email arrived earlier this month and is thought to have been sent to all MPs whose surnames begin A to C.

“By sheer chance I had been at a meeting at the Kent Police headquarters earlier that day. Then I received the email,” he said.

According to the Braziers, the email contained a photo of a headless corpse and a threat to kill Mr Brazier and his family.

In July this year John Brazier was sent a threatening letter following Britain’s vote to withdraw from the European Union.

John Brazier – a Tory city councillor – opened the letter which said simply: “You cheating lying bastard. You will pay for Brexit.”

Cllr Brazier says he was surprised by the content because he did no campaigning in the run-up to the June 23 vote, when the UK voted 52% to 48% to quit the EU.

“I was very confused when I first saw it,” he said at the time.

“I didn’t do any campaigning and I wasn’t actually sure which way I was going to vote until very late in the day, although I did actually vote to leave.

“So it definitely surprised me. I suppose it’s the sort of thing that happens when you get into politics.”

“I would say that it’s either a terrorist or somebody who is mentally ill" - Julian Brazier

His father agrees.

MPs have to accept some risks that go with the job,” he said. “If you don’t accept that then you shouldn’t be an MP.

“But it’s not a huge risk, like those faced by members of the armed forces or the police. It has to be kept in perspective.”

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “We are investigating a linked series of threatening emails which have been received by a number of MPs since Friday, August 26.

“All of these emails have been received via MPs’ parliamentary email accounts.

“No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing.

“This is not being treated as a terrorist incident.”