I was elected on the day Jo Cox was taken from us. The EU referendum was a week later, and all I have experienced since then is a politics of hate.
We want discourse not division, we come to Parliament with reason not rage, and we aim to speak with humility not “humbug”.
Whichever side of the Brexit fence you sit on, you’ll agree that our country is damaged with division, and it’s being fuelled by anger.
Tensions can run high, families have Brexit disagreements, so do neighbours, and Twitter and Facebook can unearth the strongest of opinions.
So Parliament must take a lead and show it can have a respectful debate.
To say I was disappointed with the language used by Boris Johnson this week would be an understatement.
I would plead with him to reduce the aggression and stop the finger-pointing. As the person who holds the highest position in the UK, Boris Johnson must show leadership.
Sometimes this means holding your hands up and admitting that you made a mistake.
Boris Johnson must apologise.
While all MPs and elected representatives have a responsibility to lead by example, the rise of the far-right in the UK is responsible for attacks on minorities. Jo Cox was killed by a far-right extremist.
Women MPs are issued rape threats, MPs of colour are told to “go back home”. These threats are not isolated. They sit within a society which is becoming increasingly aggressive towards minorities.
This is the work of the far-right. Remember, just this month the police said that the fastest-growing UK terrorist threat is from the far-right.
MPs and public figures, especially women and people of colour, receive thousands of abusive tweets
in one day for speaking out on contentious issues.
I’m regularly told that I “deserve a slap” and that I should “get back in the kitchen”.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been told to “go back home” – go back home to where? Tooting?
Just this week, on Parliament’s first day back, a member of my team had to call the police because a man was being threatening over Brexit.
No one should have to deal with this behaviour as part of their job.
I want to Remain, others want to Leave, but at some point the Brexit debate will be over and our country will have to move forward.
Boris Johnson must conduct himself as a statesperson. The Government must have a zero-tolerance policy on abusive language and behaviour.
If he doesn’t, and if his advisers don’t, the wounds of our nation shall turn to scars. Our country needs to heal.
