MP Joe Leadbetter says abuse worse than Jo Cox era

Kim Leadbeater, the sister of murdered MP Jo Cox, has said MPs now face more serious abuse than when her sister was killed.

Cox was Murdered by a terrorist in his constituency of Batley and Spain In the run-up to the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Despite calls for change after the murder, Leadbetter said there was an erosion in people’s ability to “disagree nicely”.

Speaking to Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast, he argued that the “level of abuse and nastiness” in political debate was “worse than ever”.

Leadbeater, now Labor MP for her late sister’s constituency, said that proposing her bill to legalize assisted dying had exposed her to a level of abuse she had never experienced before.

“I think we can have a civilized, respectful politics, and we can still disagree nicely and forcefully and have reasonable passionate debate,” Leadbeater said.

“But I think sometimes we’ve lost that balance to disagree and leave that debate.”

“Then it descends into personal insults, threats, abuse, intimidation – and that’s when I worry.”

Speaking about sending supportive messages to his sister in the days before her death, Leadbetter said: “There was a level of abuse and a level of nastiness in politics at that time – not as it is now.

“I remember Joe telling me ‘I need to get a thicker skin’.

“And I pushed back and said ‘No, you don’t. You need to be because it makes you the brilliant person that you are, and it makes you the brilliant parliamentarian that you are.’

“And do you know what’s really sad, Nick? I actually interact with coworkers on a daily basis now.

“Female colleagues in general, but colleagues across the political spectrum, because the level of abuse and snubs now is, I would say, worse than ever.”

MPs are currently examining Leadbetter’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would give people the right to seek help to end their lives in certain circumstances.

Asked by Nick Robinson whether proposing the bill had exposed her to a level of abuse she had never lived through before, Leadbetter said: “Yes, absolutely.

“I knew it would happen because I know it’s a serious issue, and I know how strongly people feel about it.

“There are people at one extreme of the debate, people who don’t want to see any version of the law changed, and at the other extreme of the debate there are people who want a much broader law.

“Sadly, it has taken more abuse than I have probably done to anything else.

“Abuse is one thing, but it’s when people say things that aren’t true that I really struggle with.

“Misinformation and the disinformation aspect of it – and the fact that a lot of it happens on social media, where there is no room for a nuanced debate.”

But Leadbeater said she understood the “passion” around the debate and would “work as hard as I can to make sure that genuine concerns are considered” as the bill is considered. The bill went through Parliament.

in November, Lawmakers support Leadbetter’s bill to legalize assisted dying by 330 to 275 in a free vote in England and Wales – meaning MPs were allowed to vote with their conscience, rather than following party orders.

It was the first Commons vote on the issue in nearly a decade and paved the way for a monumental change in the law.

Leadbeater said he had “no illusions about how big a deal this is”.

“We will take oral evidence from over 50 witnesses, which is highly, highly unusual for a private members’ bill,” she said.

This week, the first steps of a line-by-line examination of the bill provoked heated debate, with accusations of bias toward pro-assisted dying voices.

But Leadbeater argued that he had taken a “really open approach” to the bill, welcoming the amendment.

“It’s sometimes upsetting and disappointing to have people who are suggesting otherwise — because we’ve got to earn this right,” she said.

“It’s not just about passing legislation, it’s about passing good legislation that achieves what we’re trying to achieve, but doesn’t create other problems. And take everyone’s ideas into account.”

The bill’s committee will begin its first oral evidence session on January 28.

There are still several months of parliamentary activity ahead, and the bill must pass votes in both the Commons and the Lords before the proposed changes can become law.