Marianne Quinn

Hannah Phillips joined The Jo Cox Foundation in July. She is the Research and Policy Manager, leading the work of the Jo Cox Civility Commission. Originally from Scotland, Hannah is a policy and research professional with over eight years of experience in the public sector and academia. She has worked on local, national and international levels including at the London Borough of Lambeth Council, the UK House of Commons and the United Nations. In addition to her work at the Foundation, Hannah is a DPhil (PhD) Candidate at the University of Oxford where she examines how the phenomenon of abuse towards elected representatives has been politicised as a policy problem in the UK.

The Jo Cox Civility Commission aims to find practical recommendations to address the problem of violence, abuse and intimidation of elected representatives.  Since the launch and call for evidence in February, the team has engaged with over 100 stakeholders via written submissions and meetings. We are currently in the process of drafting recommendations and aim to publish the final report in January.  

I joined the team in July, bringing my experience working for elected representatives as well as my academic research on the topic.  I feel honoured to use my expertise to make concrete recommendations towards a political culture that embraces Jo Cox’s philosophy that “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.”

I was working for an MP when Jo Cox was murdered and have seen the consequences of incivility and abuse in politics in subsequent years. From regular online threats to increased parliamentary security and the murder of Sir David Amess MP, the problem of abuse towards elected representatives has tragically worsened and is now more urgent than ever. 

Last year, Jo’s sister, Kim Leadbeater MP, investigated threats towards MPs for Channel 4. MPs talked about the huge amount of time and energy that they, their staff and their families put into dealing with abuse. Former MPs cited the mental toll from dealing with online and in-person threats as a reason for leaving politics. Most of the people we have spoken to about the Civility Commission have reflected that abuse has become ‘normalised’ as part of the job of an elected representative. 

We cannot let such abuse remain ‘normal’. Violence, abuse and intimidation towards elected representatives is cause of concern not just because of the impacts on individuals and groups, but because of its impact on democracy. Attacks towards elected representatives – whether that is from extremists, online trolls, party members, or even other elected officials – should have no place in a civil democracy. 

Such violence and abuse particularly threatens diverse political representation. Existing research, including by Amnesty International, the Committee on Standards in Public Life, the Local Government Association, and academics Sofia Collignon, Rosie Campbell and Wolfgang Rüdig suggest that the problem of abuse in politics is worsening and particularly impacts those who are already underrepresented in political spaces, such as women, especially women of colour, and young MPs. Those with protected characteristics, including intersecting identities, can face particularly aggressive abuse. 

At The Jo Cox Foundation, we have been learning from a wide range of individuals with lived experiences and sector experts with ideas about how we can make progress on this issue. 

Abuse experienced by elected representatives is complex. It is not a problem that will only be solved by an increase in security but will require engagement and collaboration from a range of actors such as the police, political parties, parliament, local government authorities, schools, and social media companies. Importantly, it will require culture change so that abuse in politics is no longer normalised.  

In our research, those working to increase the diversity of political representation have emphasised abuse as a key barrier that can prevent those with protected characteristics from putting themselves forward as political candidates. Staff of politicians have explained how abuse towards their bosses has serious impacts on their own mental health and well-being. Experts in political literacy have made recommendations on how to increase awareness about politicians’ roles as a way to prevent abuse that arises from misinformation. In the coming months, we will consolidate this cross-sector expertise and suggestions into concrete recommendations. 

With a general election on the horizon, we have an opportunity to demonstrate that we do not need to accept abuse towards elected representatives as an inevitable part of politics. If implemented, the recommendations of the Jo Cox Civility Commission can make real change for the benefit of our democracy. 

It has been four months since we launched the Jo Cox Civility Commission to find solutions to what is one of the biggest threats to our democracy in the UK – the abuse and intimidation of our elected representatives. We’ve been conducting interviews and collecting valuable data, research that we will continue over the summer as we gather recommendations and work towards our report publication.

One of the challenges we’ve heard in our research so far relates to rising incivility in public life in general. How can we specifically address the issue as it relates to politicians, without thinking about the wider backdrop of a societal shift towards one which has less respect? Understanding our work in this context is going to be essential as we progress in our research over the summer.

I’ve been thinking in particular about one response to our open call for submissions, which said:

The goal is not to eliminate abuse (sadly), but to make it survivable – where it is possible for politics to function at some basic level. There is hope, and a fundamental desire from most involved in politics for things to be different.

Robust debate and disagreement are vital to a healthy democracy, but it will be impossible for us to have a culture of healthy debate in our politics if people are put off from standing for election due to abuse. As the submission says, we need to ensure it is ‘survivable’ – that abuse and intimidation does not become a barrier, particularly as it is politicians from marginalised groups that are targeted the most.

We know that politicians themselves have a responsibility when it comes to setting a standard of respect. The Civility Commission will not be shy in identifying the elements of politicians’ own behaviour where they contribute to the perception that other elected representatives are acceptable targets of abuse and intimidation. Setting standards when it comes to use of language and rejecting personal attacks will be an important part of this.

This month, in his statement regarding the Privileges Committee report, Boris Johnson referenced the report as “the final knife thrust” in a “political assassination”. This violent and inflammatory language is deeply irresponsible, particularly as two MPs have been murdered while they were doing their job in the last seven years. The issue is not restricted, though, to one individual or party – it’s something that needs cross-party commitment going forwards. 

There is much good that we can build upon. When politicians work cross-party to make change, it is often unseen. Many politicians work constructively together to make a difference to issues affecting their constituents. While politics is a space for passionate disagreement and debate, it’s important that people also understand the vital cross-party work that takes place. Jo Cox was a master of this and found allies from other parties to collaborate with on specific issues – including working with Seema Kennedy on loneliness, and Tom Tugendhat on foreign policy. 

If politicians from different parties can demonstrate that it’s possible to disagree, debate, and collaborate at the same time, it signals to everyone that we can have  vibrant debate without resorting to insults and abuse. If not, we risk alienating many people from participating in politics and our democracy will be all the weaker for it. The Parliamentary Great Get Together last week was a brilliant example of politicians coming together with a shared cause – to celebrate Jo’s belief that we have more in common than that which divides us. 

The severity of abuse and intimidation that politicians are facing at a local and national level must not be normalised to a point where people begin to think that nothing can be done to improve the situation. As we are seeing from our research, it can. We look forward to providing deeper insights from our research as the Commission progresses and in preparation for the publication of our report.

Would you like to share your experiences and views on how we can reduce abuse and intimidation of elected politicians? Our call for submissions is open until the end of July.

If you’d like to support the Commission’s research and campaigning on this vital issue, you can do so with a monthly or one-off donation. Thank you for your support.

Su Moore, CEO of The Jo Cox Foundation