UK now has a 'Minister for loneliness' to help millions of isolated Brits

An estimated half the people aged 75 and over live alone in Britain, with many saying they can go days, even weeks, with no social interaction at all.

Twitter

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May today appointed the country’s first-ever minister in charge of tackling loneliness and combating social isolation.

.@tracey_crouch will work with @JoCoxFoundation, businesses and charities to shine a light on loneliness and create the first ever Government strategy for it. We should all do everything we can to see that, in Jo’s memory, we bring an end to the acceptance of loneliness for good. pic.twitter.com/RoJPYEG6yn

— Theresa May (@theresa_may) January 17, 2018

Tracey Crouch, currently minister for sport and civil society in the UK government, will take on the additional role created in memory of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was murdered by a right-wing fanatic in June, 2016.

This is hugely important and was one of the recommendations in the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness. Glad to see the Prime Minister is taking it so seriously and @tracey_crouch will be brilliant. pic.twitter.com/Q751u0Pyn9 — Carrie Symonds (@carriesymonds) January 16, 2018

“Jo Cox recognised the scale of loneliness across the country and dedicated herself to doing all she could to help those affected,” May said in a statement.

For far too many, loneliness is a sad reality of modern life. I want us all to confront this and take action to address loneliness endured by the elderly, by carers, those who have lost loved ones – those with no one to talk to or share their thoughts and experiences with. pic.twitter.com/42DbUKuDYb — Theresa May (@theresa_may) January 17, 2018

The new ministerial role will take forward the recommendations of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, with the post holder working with the commission, businesses and charities to create a government-wide strategy.

Both proud & humbled to be appointed #loneliness minister in order to continue Jo Cox's great work & deliver recommendations of the @JoCoxFoundation working in partnership across gov, business & so many brilliant orgs/charities to combat social isolation & loneliness pic.twitter.com/6vhBcPzoFm — Tracey Crouch (@tracey_crouch) January 17, 2018

According to research, more than 9 million people always or often feel lonely, around 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month, and up to 85 per cent of young disabled adults – 18-34 year olds – feel lonely. “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,” May said. Crouch, Tory MP for Chatham and Aylesford, said she was determined to make significant progress in “defeating loneliness”. “This is an issue that Jo cared passionately about and we will honour her memory by tackling it, helping the millions of people across the UK who suffer from loneliness,” she said.

Loneliness is something we've talked a lot about on BBC Breakfast and now the government has launched a national strategy to tackle it. It'll be led by @tracey_crouch, who explains what she wants to make of the new role. pic.twitter.com/PL5BDOMgX1 — BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) January 17, 2018

Loneliness can be triggered by a life event, such as a bereavement or becoming a parent, with certain groups, such as the elderly, young people and carers, particularly at risk. The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, chaired by Rachel Reeves MP and Seema Kennedy MP, has spent the last year considering what the government and others can do to help. They have been working with 13 charities, including Age UK and Action for Children to develop ideas for change. “We are really pleased to see that the government is taking the issue of loneliness very seriously with its prompt response to our report. Jo Cox said that, young or old, loneliness doesn’t discriminate,” said Reeves. An estimated half the people aged 75 and over live alone in Britain, with many saying they can go days, even weeks, with no social interaction at all. The UK government has also announced that the Office of National Statistics (ONS) will devise a method of measuring loneliness, and a fund will be set up to help tackle the problem through activities which connect people.