Home
Politics

New ‘minister for loneliness’ pledges to defeat endemic problem

Tracey Crouch will tackle misery affecting nine million Brits

Newsletter sign up Newsletter

Mourners remember murdered Labour MP Jo Cox

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

last updated 17 January 2018

Theresa May has appointed Britain’s first minister for the lonely in order to help continue the work of the murdered MP Jo Cox.

How to combat the deadly problem of loneliness

Sports and Civil Society Minister Tracey Crouch has been tasked with setting out a new strategy for helping the millions of people believed to be suffering from loneliness in the UK. Couch has been asked to pull together all strands of government, including the Treasury, the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions, to tackle the problem.

The Office for National Statistics “will help to devise a method of measuring loneliness, and a fund will be set up to allow government and charities to find innovative ways to deal with it”, says The Times.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Loneliness was a key issue for Cox, who was murdered by a right-wing extremist during the EU referendum campaign in 2016, says Politico’s Jack Blanchard.

Professor Jane Cummings, the chief nursing officer for England, has said that loneliness can have a “devastating impact” on mental health and can also increase the risk of premature death by a third.

A study by the Co-op and the British Red Cross found that more than nine million people in the UK “always or often” lonely, while Age UK found 200,000 older people had not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month.

Explore More

Jo Cox In Brief

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox

A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The Week Staff

Social Links Navigation

Latest

5 exclusive cartoons about Trump and Putin negotiating peace
Cartoons Artists take on alternative timelines, missing participants, and more

By The Week US Published 22 February 25
The AI arms race
Talking Point The fixation on AI-powered economic growth risks drowning out concerns around the technology which have yet to be resolved

By The Week UK Published 22 February 25
Why Jannik Sinner's ban has divided the tennis world
In the Spotlight The timing of the suspension handed down to the world's best male tennis player has been met with scepticism

By The Week UK Published 22 February 25