At times of great division and uncertainty the public should quite rightly expect to look to the nation’s parliament which for so long has been a beacon of representative democracy the world over, for leadership and a message of hope.

Far too often in recent times we have instead found ourselves confronted with chaotic scenes of antagonism and disdain.

It would have been unthinkable in the not-too-distant past that the Prime Minister would take to a Downing Street lectern to deliver an urgent address about the perils of extremism and hate in Great Britain, but sadly, that is exactly what he did last week.

During Rishi Sunak’s speech, he made reference to our nation being made up of “kind, decent, tolerant people”. As someone who has spent my entire working life in public service and interacting with the British public – as an NHS doctor and MP – I agree with him.

Since being elected in 2010 to represent Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, I have frequently been overwhelmed by the compassion and caring for others that is evident across all our communities – even during the most challenging of times.

I believe it is incumbent on all of our elected representatives, particularly the 649 colleagues with whom I sit in the House of Commons, to embody this kindness, decency and tolerance in all our daily interactions and communications.

There is also the need for MPs to respect and inspire confidence in our nation’s laws, institutions and, as bizarre as it may sound, objective facts and evidence-based law making.

I fear this is not always the case at present, with certain individuals seemingly more committed to stoking divisive falsehoods as a means of self-promotion than serving the people who entrusted them with their votes.

Just in the past few weeks, several glaring examples have had nothing but a detrimental impact on public confidence in the political system – at a time when maintaining this is of paramount importance.

I am sure I was not the only one who was dismayed to see Liz Truss, a fleeting former Prime Minister and sitting MP, socialising with right-wing extremist firebrands and conspiracy theorists in the United States.

Long established procedure, too, is a fundamental pillar on which our historic democracy rests. Regardless of the motivations behind the Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, breaking with convention in recent debates on the situation in Gaza, this action – and the resultant uproar in the chamber – undeniably fed the narrative that Westminster can, at its worst, appear like a circus and that the speaker, the very guardian of Parliamentary democracy, faltered in the face of threats and intimidation.

Add to this the arrival of Fedora-wearing agitator George Galloway as the newly elected member for Rochdale and the perception that British democracy has stumbled is bound to deepen.

It may well be true that such a divisive figure only won that by-election due to Labour’s inadequate Parliamentary candidate selection process, which delivered a candidate eventually, and rightly disowned by the party due to a string of alleged antisemitic comments, but the public needs more from a party claiming it is ready to govern.

Similarly, while Lee Anderson – now suspended from the Conservative party – makes incendiary and ill-founded claims about the Mayor of London being in the pockets of “Islamists” it becomes ever harder for anyone to conduct a calm, measured debate.

Fanning the flames of controversy is not only irresponsible but can be critically dangerous. Following the tragic murders of Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021, it is a miserable indictment of the current situation that a £31 million security package is now being directed to the protection of MPs both at work and in their family homes.

All major parties have a duty to step in to counteract the hatred we now see all too frequently, not only online but increasingly on our streets. MPs must play our part in lowering the temperature of arguments which are increasingly fevered and frenzied in nature.

Without moderation and tolerance, there is no question that the seeds of division and mistrust sown by crises surrounding the EU referendum, the pandemic and international warfare will only continue to grow at an alarming rate.

Dr Dan Poulter is Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich