Kim Leadbeater 'deeply shocked' by extent of abuse directed towards MPs

Writing for The Yorkshire Post to mark her first year in Parliament since being elected as the MP for Batley and Spen, Ms Leadbeater - whose sister Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 when she was MP for the same constituency - says she is worried the extent of the abuse directed towards MPs will put talented people off considering a career in public service.

Ms Leadbeater said: “We do see some pretty poor behaviour from some people in and around politics; social media is an obvious example. I have been deeply shocked by the amount of abuse, threats and intimidation MPs and others in the public eye receive on a daily basis. I’m not asking for sympathy, and it’s not just MPs or people with a public profile who are the target of people’s anger and frustration.

“Many people who have regular contact with the public get it, whether it’s health care workers, taxi drivers or the person on the till at the supermarket.

"I didn’t really go on social media before I was elected, but while it has major downsides it’s an effective way of communicating, so I see its importance in this job. I can’t say I enjoy it much though. I certainly don’t like seeing things written about me which are not true – they are more upsetting than the personal insults in some ways.

“I wish people would understand that it is not appropriate for everything an MP does to be in the public domain. Much of what we do is quite rightly between us and our constituents.

“I came into the House of Commons later in life and I’m pretty tough. What worries me is that the abuse MPs are subjected to will put talented young people off even considering public service as a career, especially if they’re women or BAME or both.”

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