Meeting of the Parliament 16 June 2026 [Draft]
I begin by doing what all members have done and thank Jenny Young for securing the motion for debate in the Parliament, and I congratulate her on her first members’ business debate, on what is clearly an important subject. In the spirit of our discussion, I agree with Stephen Kerr, which I do not do often, that Jenny Young’s contribution was outstanding. Indeed, we have had a range of important and well-informed contributions, for which I am grateful.
The debate has provided us with an opportunity to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of Jo Cox’s terrible murder and to reflect on what she stood for. We should remember that she and, indeed, David Amess were killed as they undertook and discharged their responsibilities as parliamentarians and constituency representatives. We should also remind ourselves that their deaths were not just individual tragedies in that sense; in effect, they were an attack on democracy—a reminder that democracy can be fragile and is often under threat.
I did not know Jo Cox, as others have said, but it is very clear from all that I have seen and read about her and from what has been said in the debate that she brought clear intelligence, energy and compassion to the pursuit of the type of society that we would all want to see, where our communities and our democracy are strengthened by connection, trust and respect. As we have heard, those themes have become her important legacy and are evident across all that she did during her career, which was dedicated to improving the lives of those in need. I believe that all of us in public life strive for that and that we have all been motivated to enter politics for those reasons. Maybe that is a reminder of the point that David Linden made about the common ground that exists between us all. We have different perspectives on how to achieve those ends, but that is what we are all driven by, although I cannot say that I intend to play tennis with anyone in the chamber at any point—I resist the invitation that I am getting from the sidelines.
Members have noted the important work of the Jo Cox Foundation. My predecessor, Graeme Dey, met representatives of the foundation in October last year as they were developing the recommendations for “A Renewed Call to Action for the Devolved Nations” to address abuse and intimidation in politics, which Jenny Young noted. The call to action was published in February and includes recommendations for individual parties and politicians, as well as the Parliament and the Scottish Government, to consider. It may be useful to provide an update on some of the activity that the Government has undertaken in response and, indeed, some of the work that was already under way in education. We would all recognise that ensuring that our young people are properly informed is an important and critical element of the activity.
Last week, Education Scotland published guidance for schools on responding to far-right extremism and racism in current events, which I think is particularly pertinent and important. It picks up on Carol Mochan’s point about responding to the immediate challenges that are before us. There is new time for inclusive education and digital discourse resources to help provide teachers with information and strategies to address the effects of online hate and disinformation, in response to some of the challenges in public life.
I remind colleagues that, in the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act 2025, we—or, I should say, colleagues in the previous parliamentary session—collectively made provisions to bar those found guilty of offences involving intimidation of campaigners, candidates and elected representatives from being able to stand for office as a member of the Scottish Parliament or as a councillor. We also created a new disqualification order that would apply to those who are guilty of offences involving intimidation of electoral workers.
I recognise that there is a particular challenge with the intimidation that women in politics face. We are providing funding for Engender, which has worked with other members of the Equal Representation Coalition to develop the equal representation in politics toolkit. We have also provided funding for Elect Her, which is working with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to host workshops to provide female councillors with a space to share resources and advice for women who are considering standing for public office.
I hope that that is helpful by way of updating on some of the activity that the Government is undertaking, but I recognise that there will always be more to be done, and we should work collaboratively in that regard.
We should recognise the challenges that we face, but Adam Harley made an important point: that the general experience of being involved in politics is a good one. Just as he spoke of, I like nothing more than to engage with the constituents I represent in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. By and large, that is a positive experience. I enjoy very much being able to go out and meet the individuals and organisations that I represent. However, we should be aware of, not pretend otherwise and shy away from, the fact that the level of abuse and intimidation of candidates and elected representatives is unacceptably high. I agree with Stephen Kerr that we should consider that, for some people, that acts as a disincentive in the first place from coming forward to stand. That should concern us all, and we should respond. The Government, the parties and the Parliament as an institution have a role to play in that regard.