Jo Cox family stand by her husband after he admits ‘inappropriate’ behaviour
THE family of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox have vowed to stand by her widower Brendan after he confessed to acting ‘inappropriately’ towards women.
The late politician’s relatives said they respected him for ‘admitting mistakes he may have made in the past’.
Mr Cox quit the Jo Cox Foundation and More In Common – the two charities set up in his wife’s memory – amid allegations he drunkenly harassed a female colleague while working at charity Save The Children.
Yesterday the father of two said he wanted to ‘apologise deeply and unreservedly’ for his past conduct, adding: ‘I made mistakes and behaved in a way that caused some women hurt and offence.’
The accusation against the 39-year- old relates to an incident in July 2015, while Mrs Cox was still alive. He is said to have grabbed a female colleague by the throat and said: ‘I want to f*** you’, the Mail On Sunday reported.
Mr Cox left his £100,000-a-year post at Save The Children in September 2015, before a disciplinary investigation could be completed. One month later, a senior female US government official allegedly accused him of ‘inappropriately’ touching her at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and made a complaint to police.
Mr Cox, who worked for prime minister Gordon Brown in 2010, said: ‘I want to apologise deeply and unreservedly for my past behaviour and for the hurt and offence I have caused. While I do not accept the allegations contained in the 2015 complaint to the police in... Massachusetts, I do acknowledge that during my time at Save The Children I made mistakes and behaved in a way that caused some women hurt and offence.
‘This was never malicious but it was certainly inappropriate.’
Mr Cox said he had seen his behaviour as ‘flirtatious or jokey’ rather than predatory after hearing that some former colleagues at Save The Children had described him as a sex pest. The family of Mrs Cox, who was murdered by a far-right extremist during the 2016 Brexit Referendum campaign, said they would stand by her widower.
Her sister Kim Leadbeater said: ‘This is another very difficult day for our family. The last 20 months have been a constant roller coaster of emotions which we are still dealing with on a daily basis.
‘As a family we will support Brendan as he endeavours to do the right thing by admitting mistakes he may have made in the past, and we respect him for doing so.
‘We all make mistakes. Brendan is a wonderful father and I have no doubt about the happiness he brought to Jo.’ Yesterday female Labour MPs also came out in support of Mr Cox. Jess Phillips, a friend of Mrs Cox, said: ‘It’s not enough just to say, “Oh I’m sorry”, you have to show how you’re going to change... and I think Brendan, more so than many I’ve seen in this area is actually trying to do that.’
Lucy Powell, Labour and Co-op MP for Manchester Central, tweeted: ‘Good for @MrBrendanCox – reflecting and taking responsibility for past actions.’
Save The Children said: ‘When complaints are made we investigate in accordance with our procedures. This was exactly the case in 2015. Mr Cox was suspended and a disciplinary process commenced. [He] resigned before it could be completed.’