As a local constituency MP, I see both the best and worst of people.

Most of the time, especially here in Barnsley, it’s the former. Just this week, I’ve met hard-working constituents and visited some fantastic businesses and locations around our borough.

However, last week was a different story. As Security Minister, I delivered a statement to parliament on the findings of an inquiry into the murder of the Conservative MP Sir David Amess, a tragedy that took place on October 15, 2021.

I knew David well. After my very first speech in Parliament, he responded with characteristic kindness. He understood that it was important to treat people from other political parties fairly and kindly.

Another MP who understood this was my late friend, the Labour MP Jo Cox. Like David, Jo was murdered by an extremist while faithfully serving the public. In her maiden speech to parliament, Jo delivered an important message for all MPs: “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which seeks to divide us.”

After my statement last week, I asked myself if Jo’s words still held true. The answer is yes: we do still have more in common than that which seeks to divide us. Unfortunately, though, many voices today still seek to sow division.

Some of those voices tell outright lies. Often, these lies are spread on social media, and usually they come from those at the extreme ends of the political spectrum.

Sometimes promoted by fake accounts, their lies get repeated again and again. There is therefore a risk that people will be misled by this false information, and perhaps even – during election time – cast their vote based on lies.

There is also a real risk that people will become radicalised by these lies and end up committing violent acts. This is precisely what those spreading hate online want to achieve.

They must not succeed. I chair the Defending Democracy Taskforce, a group set up to co-ordinate the government’s response to interference in our democratic processes. Accordingly, I work with colleagues across government to combat the threat of online disinformation from wherever it might originate, ensuring that our democratic integrity is upheld.

As MP for Barnsley North, I personally hold myself to the highest standards, making sure that my social media posts are always based on accurate facts. I will never smear political opponents with falsities something that, sadly, cannot be said of several right-wing voices who have recently been getting a lot of attention online.

Yet tackling disinformation requires us all to work together. We must think before we post or share social media content: is this factually accurate? Is this designed to make me angry, and to direct my anger toward a specific target?

The world is a much better place without the hateful lies and smears of extremists. Remember: “We are far more united and have far more in common than that which seeks to divide us.”