The last 18 months have been difficult for everyone. Through my constituency work, I’ve seen first-hand the problems people have faced – and the obstacles they’ve overcome.

Throughout that time, our frontline workers have been keeping the country moving. Fighting to keep the NHS afloat, to ensure the buses and trains are running, and working hard – often in insecure Covid environments, or understaffed due to self-isolation – to serve food and drink, or to keep our supermarket shelves stocked.

But on top of being at the forefront of tackling the virus, there have been other challenges.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than half of customer-facing workers have experienced verbal or physical abuse while they do their job. 80% of the UK’s workforce has some form of public-facing role – that’s our children, our parents, and our families, and all the people who have worked so hard to keep us safe through the covid crisis.

That pandemic of abuse must end. That’s why we’re fighting for a change in the law.

In September, I’ll be bringing a motion to Parliament to make verbal or physical abuse of a frontline worker a criminal offence.

But the campaign needs your support. Please, let your MP know how important the issue is to you by getting in touch with them here. And if you work in a customer-facing role, let me know about your experiences by completing our survey here.

It’s time to end the abuse. Together we can make the Government listen, and ensure everyone has the safety and the dignity they’re entitled to at work.