Britain gets first-ever ‘minister for loneliness’

LONDON – Britain appointed its first-ever minister to combat loneliness, a problem the government says affects more than 9 million people in the country who always or often feel lonely.

“For far too many, loneliness is a sad reality of modern life,” Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday in a statement. “I want us all to confront this and take action to address loneliness endured by the elderly, by carers, those who have lost loved ones — those with no one to talk to or share their thoughts and experiences with.”

May said the new minister, Tracey Crouch, will build on the legacy of the late Jo Cox, a member of Parliament from the opposition Labour Party who was murdered in 2016 by a white supremacist in a street attack in northern England.

Crouch, the sports and civil society minister, told the BBC that a multimillion-dollar fund would help her create a framework for the future. She said she would look into funding cuts by the government that caused the closures of libraries and day centers.

“This is an issue that Jo cared passionately about, and we will honor her memory by tackling it, helping the millions of people across the U.K. who suffer from loneliness,” Crouch said in a statement.

Cox, a longtime human rights activist, set up the Commission on Loneliness before her death. The commission had called for a dedicated minister to tackle the problem it said is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

The government said about 200,000 seniors have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month, and up to 85% of disabled 18- to 34-year-olds feel lonely.