At the Spectator magazine’s Parliamentarian of the Year Awards on Thursday 21 November, Kevan was recognised for his speech in the House of Commons in June, when he spoke of his battles with depression.
Kevan shared the ‘Speech of the Year’ award with Charles Walker MP, who had spoken of his own Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in the same debate. Spectator editor, Fraser Nelson, said, “Kevan Jones admitted later that he had no idea if he’d be ending his own career by making a similar speech. ”
Within hours, they were flooded with emails thanking them for giving a voice to people with the same struggles. And finally mental health issues had some parliamentary champions. The Mental Health Act, removing the last vestiges of discrimination from the system, would soon follow. Our Speech of the Year goes to two men who opened their heart, and in so doing helped change the law of the land.”