Join the big consensus census to bring Britain together, for my sister Jo Cox’s sake
WE all feel more united in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, a new poll has revealed.
The study suggests the pandemic has helped to heal rifts created by bitterly fought battles over issues such as Brexit and the election.
Campaigner Kim Leadbeater, 44, from Batley, West Yorks, knows only too well the importance of creating a less divided society.
Her sister, MP Jo Cox, was killed by a right-wing extremist in 2016.
Here, Kim explains why we must build on our new-found community spirit and urges readers to take part in a major new survey to bring Britain together.
THE Covid-19 pandemic is a human tragedy – but there is no doubt the pressures of lockdown triggered a new sense of togetherness in Britain.
A real sense of closeness and compassion was fostered up and down the country, from people offering to do a neighbour’s shopping, to picking up prescriptions and checking on those who may be lonely and vulnerable.
It can take a crisis to see the best in people. I saw that first hand when my sister Jo was murdered in 2016 by a right-wing extremist.
It was an unspeakable tragedy for our family and her constituency of Batley and Spen. But in the aftermath we founded the Jo Cox Foundation, which aims to build on my sister’s legacy to create a kinder, more tolerant world.
And during the pandemic our volunteers were quick to respond to the needs of people in West Yorkshire, helping with practicalities and making sure no one felt alone — just as Jo would have done.
Without doubt, Jo would have been rolling up her sleeves in her constituency, packing shopping bags or helping out at food banks.
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She went into politics to make a difference. I’ll never forget how once, she found out they were doing some planting at Batley train station, so she charged down there, put on some gardening gloves and got stuck in while still wearing her heels.
Jo and I were brought up to look out for others, just as so many people did during the pandemic.
A new ICM poll has revealed that pre-lockdown, 60 per cent of Brits agreed that “the UK has never felt so divided in my lifetime”.
Bitter struggles over Brexit and the general election played out on social media and left us feeling split as a nation. But post-lockdown that figure has dropped to just 45 per cent.
The poll was commissioned by the Together campaign — a coalition of charities and organisations, including the Jo Cox Foundation, aimed at promoting unity.
Job losses and economic pressures are set to heighten inequality and put society under strain.
That is why today I am helping to launch the Talk Together initiative — a huge survey that aims to gauge the mood of the nation.
BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER
We were in this together at the start. Now we need to stay that way and not allow the seeds of division to be sown. But we can only do that if we hear from a cross-section of real people.
In the biggest consultation since the 2011 census, it will find out what brings people together.
The Together campaign brings together political leaders, church leaders, business leaders and community leaders. But we can only make a difference if we hear what you think.
During lockdown I saw how social media could connect people. Even learning dances on TikTok kept our spirits up!
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Today’s ICM poll finds that three-quarters of the public say people from different backgrounds get on well in their local community, although at a national level that figure drops.
Jo always believed that we had more in common than those things that divide us.
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Now we want to hear from you on how we can make that belief a reality.
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