British Prime Minister, Theresa May has appointed a minister for loneliness to honour the legacy of the murdered Labour MP Jo Cox and tackle the isolation felt by some people in the UK.
According to Reuters, Sports minister Tracey Crouch will take on the new role, in addition to her existing job, and develop a strategy to address the problem, which research has linked with dementia, early mortality and high blood pressure.
The Jo Cox Loneliness Commission was set up to tackle one of the issues the late MP who was murdered in 2016 cared most passionately about and recommended that the Government make a minister responsible for a national strategy to combat loneliness.
“For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life. I want to confront this challenge for our society and for all of us to take action to address the loneliness endured by the elderly, by carers, by those who have lost loved ones – people who have no one to talk to or share their thoughts and experiences with, British Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement.
“Jo Cox recognised the scale of loneliness across the country and dedicated herself to doing all she could to help those affected.
“I am pleased that Government can build on her legacy with a ministerial lead for loneliness who will work with the Commission, businesses and charities to shine a light on the issue and pull together all strands of Government to create the first ever strategy.”
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