Blog: Reflections on the 2024 General Election campaign

Since Rishi Sunak’s announcement of the July election, it’s been our aim at The Jo Cox Foundation to raise awareness of the issue of abuse during campaigning times and advocate for a civil election. It has been a busy and eventful six weeks, and we have been asking ourselves the question: Is politics in a better or worse place than when the election was called?

To look first to the positives, there are three particular things that we have noted:

• The huge push to encourage more people to register to vote has been a real success. Youth democracy charity My Life My Say have reported that since the General Election was called on 22 May, 2,898,265 people have applied to register to vote. Of those who registered, 744,631 are under 25. Why is this so important? Check out our earlier blog on this topic.
• Multiple candidates have spoken about the importance of civility in politics, and we’ve seen politicians from different parties being vocal in condemning abuse and attacks against others. No matter your political beliefs, we should all condemn the intimidation of politicians, and we thank those candidates who have taken the Civility Pledge in a commitment to a respectful campaign.
• Though there have been incidents of abuse, which we explore in more detail below, we’ve heard a lot of anecdotal evidence from people who have been out canvassing for different parties that the tone on the doorsteps has been broadly civil. Elections are a unique time with lots of opportunities to engage with politicians, and the best way to do this is through conversation, not abuse, so this is positive to hear.

However, there have been some worrying developments over the course of the campaign, including:

• Candidates and activists have experienced abuse on the campaign trail, including the objects being thrown at Nigel Farage, an attack on Stella Creasy’s office and a physical assault on a volunteer. Racist insults about Rishi Sunak by a Reform Party canvasser also highlight the heightened abuse levelled at candidates from minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as the impact of abuse on politicians’ families.
• A number of candidates have cancelled hustings appearances because of fears for their own safety. Election times are a fantastic opportunity for the public to engage with their candidates, probe them on their policy positions, and have an informed opinion about who to vote for. When candidates can’t participate, everyone loses.
• While we celebrate voter registration, there has been a real sense of voter apathy around this campaign which underlines the relevance of several key recommendations from the Jo Cox Civility Commission. Firstly, politicians need to model good behaviour in order for the public to trust them. Repeated reports of candidates having to be removed from the ballot further undermines trust, and show there’s more work to do on our recommendation the candidate screening needs to be improved. We also believe political literacy needs to improve so everyone can understand the responsibilities of different elected representatives and how they can use their voice to bring about change.

So to answer our original question about the impact of the election on the state of political life in the UK, it’s clear that abuse and intimidation is still a major issue for candidates to contend with and that more should be done to build trust and engagement between politicians and the electorate. We will be urging the incoming government to implement the relevant Jo Cox Civility Commission recommendations to ensure that we can change our politics for the better. 

So, with election day upon us, the most important thing we can do is urge you to make your voice heard and vote.