Kate Osborne MP: Great North Run is about community, solidarity and inclusivity

It was brilliant to be there on the route as I usual am (handing out jelly babies from the sidelines) and to cheer on Keith, my Senior Caseworker, our fantastic North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, Dame Kelly Holmes, and tens of thousands of others as they ran through my constituency of Jarrow and Gateshead East.

I even managed to spot Hebby the Hornet from Hebburn Town FC and a couple of the Hebburn FC lasses. Well done to all who took part – each and every one of you are a credit to our region.

Every year, I’m in awe at how this event is about so much more than sport. It’s about community, solidarity and inclusivity.

Talking to the people next to us handing out 5p’s that they have collected all year to put in buckets, families cheering on their loved ones, local people handing out water and the very many moving stories behind each run.

People of every age, background, ability and nationality take part - from elite runners chasing records, to wheelchair competitors, to first-time runners raising money for causes close to their hearts.

There is something special about seeing the Tyne Bridge filled with runners who represent the very best of who we are in the North East: warm, friendly, welcoming and proud to celebrate diversity.

The North East is well known for its welcoming hospitality for people who move into the area - and I should know having moved here in 1989 and being proud to call the North East home for the last 36 years (even if I’ve never picked up the accent!).

If you believed the hype and constant media narrative immigration would be our communities’ number one concern - but it’s not. More people contact me about mice (even though that's a council issue) than immigration. In fact, immigration is the subject I get some of the least e-mails about. Housing, Gaza, Animal Rights, NHS, Charities, Anti-Social Behaviour, Education and Welfare are all much higher on the list.

The North East has some of the lowest numbers of hotels being used to house asylum seekers and rightly so, we shouldn't be continuing the use of expensive and shoddy hotels. People need their cases dealt with, a decision made, and action taken.

Unfortunately, too often the national debate around asylum and migration is poisoned by myths and misinformation. We’ve all seen headlines and social media posts claiming asylum seekers are being put up in luxury homes, handed expensive mobile phones and iPads, or given preferential treatment over local people.

These claims are simply not true.

The reality is that people fleeing war and persecution often arrive here with next to nothing. They don’t get to choose where they live. Housing is allocated on a no-choice basis, almost always in properties that local residents have already turned down.

Asylum seekers do not live on lavish benefits. In truth, while their claim is being processed - which can take months or even years - they are not allowed to work and must survive on a small allowance of just over £6 a day.

These myths persist because some politicians repeat them to distract from their own failures.

It is easier to persuade you to hate your neighbour than target the Billionaires who are exploiting us all or the previous Government’s policies that left us with a broken asylum system, created the housing crisis and underfunded our public services.

We are also seeing a rise in hostility directed towards elected representatives who stand up against these lies. My colleague Emma Lewell MP, who represents South Shields, and I, have both been subjected to increased abuse and intimidation. This is not just unpleasant - it is dangerous.

When political debate is fuelled by hate and misinformation, it creates an environment where threats and intimidation become normalised. That is not the kind of politics we should ever stand for.

We see the same forces at play with far-right figures organising a march in London this weekend. These demonstrations are designed to divide communities and spread fear. They do nothing to solve the real challenges we face, but instead provide a platform for hate and encourage attacks on an already suffering minority.

As your MP, I will continue to challenge the myths that fuel division. And I will continue to celebrate the fact that the North East is one of the most inclusive, welcoming and proud parts of our country.

We all have a part to play in our communities, volunteering with a local charity, attending a cultural event, or simply challenging misinformation when you see it. Small actions, taken together, can make a huge difference.

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