Dr Neil Hudson MP joined The Jo Cox Foundation’s calls to tackle all forms of abuse and intimidation against elected representatives by backing the recommendations in the recently published Jo Cox Civility Commission report.
The report - ‘No place in politics: tackling abuse and intimidation. A call to action’ - was launched in Parliament, with Dr Neil Hudson MP there to support it. The report considers the impact of abuse and intimidation on British democracy – identifying and categorising 28 recommendations to improve civility in public life and respectful politics.
The report highlights the impact of abuse and intimidation on our political system, which it concludes is one of the contributing factors for elected representatives to step back from politics. The report also quoted research which showed that 43% of Welsh MPs have received a death threat, while almost 90% of female Members of the Scottish Parliament had feared for their safety since being elected.
Amongst the recommendations are one which includes making impartial political and media literacy a mandatory part of the school curriculum and another that asks all elected politicians, especially those in leadership roles, to model good behaviour.
Dr Neil Hudson MP gave his backing to the Commission’s recommendations and said:
"Sadly, elected politicians at all levels, from Parish Councillors to Government Ministers can be subjected to an undue level of vitriol for undertaking their very necessary work. This is simply unacceptable.
"Having received threats myself, I was keen to unite with politicians from across the House to support the Jo Cox Civility Commission and bring about a better politics for all."
Su Moore, CEO at The Jo Cox Foundation, said:
"It was brilliant to launch the Jo Cox Civility Commission call to action in Parliament last week and demonstrate that abuse has no place in politics. We have been delighted by the cross-party support for the recommendations as we now begin campaigning for them to be implemented, which we believe is vital in order to improve the health of our democracy."
The full report and recommendations are available to read now on The Jo Cox Foundation website, and elected politicians (whether at a local or national level) and relevant organisations can pledge their support for the recommendations.
