My sister Jo Cox was murdered 8 years ago – politicians are still forced to fear for their lives, says Kim Leadbeater – The Sun
JO Cox’s sister has warned that politicians are still forced to fear for their lives eight years on from the MP’s murder.
Labour MP Jo was shot and stabbed by a neo-Nazi thug in her West Yorkshire constituency on June 16, 2016, during the EU referendum.
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She was attacked outside a library in her hometown of Batley, where she had been planning to meet her constituents for a surgery.
Prime Minister David Cameron described Batley and Spen MP Jo as “a star for her constituents and a star in parliament”.
Jo was the first sitting MP to be killed since the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
In 2021 Jo’s sister Kim Leadbeater was elected as the Labour MP for Batley and Spen.
Kim now warns politics is still toxic eight years on from Jo’s murder – putting MPs in danger.
Brave Kim told The Sun: “I find it hard to believe that it is eight years since my sister’s murder.
“After Jo was killed, politicians of all parties promised to do politics differently, to ‘dial-down’ the rhetoric and toxicity and focus on the issues that matter.
“Sadly it doesn’t always feel like that has happened. Political campaigning and debate should of course be robust.
“But there is no place for violent and incendiary language, personal insults and attacks, and certainly no place for threats and physical violence.
“So it saddens me that a number of MPs said they wouldn’t be standing again in this election due to fears for their personal safety, and that of their families and staff.”
Kim added: “Jo used to tell me that we need good people in politics, and many good people are standing on July 4th.
“But too many others are put off by the abuse and intimidation politicians and others in public life are now routinely subjected to.
“Whatever the result, I hope this election can finally be the moment to put our politics on a new path.
“Agreeing where we can and, where we can’t, discussing our differences with passion, but always with honesty and respect.
“That would be a fitting tribute to Jo and everything she stood for.”
A number of MPs of all stripes have said they are standing down because of vile threats, detailed in a report by the Jo Cox Foundation.
Rising SNP star Mhairi Black is one of the parliamentarians put off seeking re-election by the toxic atmosphere in politics.
She said: “Since 2015, the lives of my loved ones have been turned upside down and inside out.
“Between media attention, social media abuse, threats, constant travel, and the murders of two MPs, my loved ones have been in a constant state of anxiety for my health and safety.”
Former Tory defence minister Mark Lancaster also said he was standing down after getting two “threats on my life”.
He said: “The politics of today, with all its anger, abuse and in my own case, two threats on my life, is not the politics we want or need for our great country.
“We have always been at our best and delivered the most, when we are able to express political disagreements through healthy debate then unite as a community and as a country.
“I hope one day that we can return to such a place.”
KIM LEADBEATER: my sister Jo Cox’s murder was an attack on British freedoms
I FIND it hard to believe that it is eight years since my sister’s murder.
It would have been her 50th birthday in a couple of weeks and, as we do every year, we will be remembering her with Great Get Together events across the whole country.
As a family, our focus has always been on celebrating Jo’s life and the values she lived by.
It is heartening to know that so many people still remember her and come together in her name.
Remaining positive is not always easy, and in a General Election year the anniversary of her death feels even more acute.
Jo’s brutal murder happened with a back drop of deep political division and a febrile atmosphere around the EU Referendum.
Her murder was an attack on our democracy and on the British freedoms that she worked so diligently and passionately to defend.
After Jo was killed, politicians of all parties promised to do politics differently, to ‘dial-down’ the rhetoric and toxicity and focus on the issues that matter.
Sadly it doesn’t always feel like that has happened. Political campaigning and debate should of course be robust.
But there is no place for violent and incendiary language, personal insults and attacks, and certainly no place for threats and physical violence.
So it saddens me that a number of MPs said they wouldn’t be standing again in this election due to fears for their personal safety, and that of their families and staff.
Jo used to tell me that we need good people in politics, and many good people are standing on July 4th.
But too many others are put off by the abuse and intimidation politicians and others in public life are now routinely subjected to.
Whatever the result, I hope this election can finally be the moment to put our politics on a new path.
Agreeing where we can and, where we can’t, discussing our differences with passion, but always with honesty and respect.
That would be a fitting tribute to Jo and everything she stood for.
Labour MP Apsana Begum has also bravely revealed how she has been inundated with vile threats and abuse.
She told the Commons: “I am currently facing death threats and a torrent of Islamophobic and misogynistic abuse.
“I’ve receive comments including, and I quote, ‘vile and filthy religion,
importing vile and filthy creatures like Apsana Begum’.
“I am now facing a heightened risk to my safety with serious death threats, threats to kidnap me, threats of sexual violence and threats about ripping off my hijab in public. It goes on and on.”
Jo Cox Foundation CEO Su Moore told The Sun: “We know that elections can be a flashpoint when it comes to abuse and intimidation.
“Sadly many parliamentary candidates are likely to face threats in the run-up to July 4.
“For many this is unfortunately resulting in the need to alter their campaigning, from avoiding campaigning alone to avoiding speaking on certain issues.
“We established the Jo Cox Civility Commission to find practical recommendations to tackle the abuse and intimidation that is threatening our democracy.
“We will work with the next government to ensure that they are implemented.
“Those we elect to represent us must be able to do their jobs without fearing for their safety.
“This is vital for the health of our democracy, for the future pipeline of politicians, and for those candidates standing for election.”
Farage ‘attacked’ on campaign trail
A MAN has been charged after objects were hurled at Nigel Farage on the election campaign trail on Tuesday.
The Reform UK leader, 60, was pelted by a man in Barnsley town centre on Tuesday while campaigning for his party on an open-top bus.
Josh Greally, 28, has been charged with using threatening behaviour.
Footage showed Farage trying to duck for cover as objects appeared to be thrown at him.
The politician said cops had warned him against doing a walkabout in Barnsley yesterday morning – which is why he was on a bus.
Farage told The Sun: “Yeah, it was pretty nasty at Barnsley.
“Thank God for the local police, who said to me, look, you know, we were on a big open-top double-decker bus.
“I was going to get off and walk through the main square in Barnsley.
“The police did tip us off very early, that will not be a good idea. Yeah, a sort of mob came along.
“By the way, protest is allowed. Protest is part of that democratic process that I was talking to you about earlier.
“But protest needs to be within certain bounds and certain reason.”
He labelled it a “violent” and “deliberate” protest.
He continued: “You might agree with me or disagree with me, that’s fine. I don’t mind if someone shouted abuse in the street at me, I’ll probably shout it back, that’s fine.
“But when it comes to violence, that actually poses a real threat to the whole democratic process.
“That was pretty nasty this morning. Had I got off that bus, I’d probably be in hospital. That’s how nasty this is.”
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