Politically Thinking with Kim Leadbeater MP: Getting stuck in

This is a particularly poignant year for me, as 2026 marks the tenth anniversary of the murder of my sister Jo Cox. Jo was killed in 2016 by a far-right extremist during a very divisive time in our politics. I hope we can come together as a country and a community in June to remember her and recommit to finding common ground and working together for the good of everyone, whatever our different views may be. The Jo Cox Foundation will be inviting people across the country to take part in ‘The Great Get Together’ at events across the country, including the ‘Run for Jo’ at Oakwell Hall in Birstall, which will be our tenth and final event and promises to be bigger and better than ever.

There is another big anniversary this year, as Dewsbury & District Hospital celebrates its 150th birthday. I met with the team from the MyHospitals charity who are running events all year as part of the celebrations and are keen for local people to share their stories and get involved.

Local business FERNO in Cleckheaton also celebrated a milestone recently, having been operating for 70 years, and it was a pleasure to visit and hear about the lifesaving emergency medical products they make. I am always inspired by the many excellent businesses, schools, charities and voluntary groups we have in our area.

I spoke to year 10 students at Whitcliffe Mount in Cleckheaton about the work of an MP, visited Elijah’s Animal Sanctuary in Mirfield to hear about their work providing a home for mistreated animals, and joined the family of Ruby Lockwood from Birstall who died suddenly due to an undetected heart condition, for a Heart Screening Day, where over 100 people were tested.

My Friends of Mirfield forum heard from representatives from community groups, charities, and businesses, I joined the Salvation Army in Heckmondwike for their monthly Coffee Morning where they collected donations for the latest convoy going to war-torn Ukraine, and visited Northorpe Hall in Mirfield to hear from families about their experience of supporting neurodiverse young people.

We have seen some important announcements from the government recently, including the first Road Safety Strategy in a decade, which sets out significant reforms for road safety including lowering the drink-drive limit and consulting on a minimum learning period for drivers. Greater powers are also being given to local authorities to curb pavement parking. I know how much these issues matter to people in Spen Valley having campaigned on them since being elected.

We have also seen a major announcement on Northern Powerhouse Rail which will revolutionise travel across the North, with major investment in West Yorkshire. The government is working to rebuild our public services, and I was delighted to see that NHS waiting lists were cut by 86,000 in November and have been cut by 312,000 since the government took power. There is lots more to do of course, but it is important to celebrate this positive news.

Thank you for reading.

Kim