Jo Cox would have been hugely excited by Labour performance, says husband

The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox has said she would have been 'hugely excited' by Labour's performance in the General Election, which fell days before the anniversary of her death.
Jo Cox.Jo Cox.
Jo Cox.

Brendan Cox, whose wife was shot and stabbed in her Batley and Spen constituency on June 16 last year, said he felt “empty” when the results came in as he recalled her excitement at being elected in the 2015 poll.

Describing his wife’s “amazing empathy” and “zest for life”, he said her murder had failed in its aim to drive people apart and ensured that her voice was heard more than ever.

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Mr Cox told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It was a weird election for me because last time, two years ago, I was with her at the count.

“It was a huge moment of excitement, something that she had aspired to do and this moment of personal satisfaction, excitement about all of the things she might go on and do.

“This one felt very empty just on a very personal level.”

He went on: “I think overall she would have been hugely excited that the Labour Party was doing much better than she probably would have anticipated it doing.”

His comments came as he urged people to take part in an event called The Great Get Together over the weekend, where scores of small picnics and community events will be held across the UK to mark the anniversary of Jo’s murder.

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Mr Cox, who has written a book called More In Common, inspired by his wife’s maiden speech in the House of Commons, said: “Jo was this incredible ball of energy, threw herself at life.

“She had this huge enthusiasm, this zest for life, driven by this amazing empathy for people, whether you were a Syrian refugee or an older person in her constituency in Batley.

“Jo’s killing was designed to do a few things. It was designed to divide communities and it’s failed in doing that, it’s actually brought Jo’s community much closer together.

“It was designed to stop her speaking, stop her message reaching people, and this book is showing that that’s failed as well, that actually her voice and the messages and the things she cared about can reach more people even after her death.”