Johnson sparks row over murdered Jo Cox

THE Prime Minister sparked uproar in the Commons last night after accusing a friend of the murdered MP Jo Cox of ‘humbug’ after she asked him to tone down his language on Brexit.

And Boris Johnson caused further controversy after he told MP Tracy Brabin that the best way to honour the Labour MP’s memory was to ‘get Brexit done’.

It followed an emotive intervention by the Labour MP Paula Sherriff who referred to the 2016 murder of Mrs Cox as she called for Mr Johnson to moderate his language.

She said the Prime Minister had ‘continually used pejorative language to describe an Act of Parliament passed by this House’. Miss Sherriff added: ‘We should not resort to using offensive, dangerous or inflammatory language for legislation that we do not like and we stand here under the shield of our departed friend with many of us in this place subject to death threats and abuse every single day. And let me tell the Prime Minister that they often quote his words “surrender act”, “betrayal”, “traitor” and I for one am sick of it.

‘We must moderate our language and it has to come from the Prime Minister first.’ She added: ‘He should be absolutely ashamed of himself.’

Miss Sherriff’s words prompted applause from the opposition benches. But Mr Johnson said: ‘I have to say Mr Speaker, I’ve never heard such humbug in all my life.’

Shouts from Labour MPs of ‘shame’ drowned out the Prime Minister’s reply. Speaker John Bercow interrupted proceedings to remind MPs to refrain from using offensive language towards one another.

Earlier, Jo Cox’s friend Labour MP Rachel Reeves described the scenes in the Commons as an ‘horrendous spectacle’ and accused Mr Johnson of sowing division with language of ‘surrender and betrayal’.

Furious Labour MPs then pointed to the memorial to Mrs Cox’s plaque in Parliament. Labour MP Jess Phillips shouted: ‘Remember that? I remember every day.’

Mr Johnson said: ‘The best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox, and the best way to bring this country together would be, I think, to get Brexit done.’

Jo Cox’s widower Brendan Cox tweeted last night: ‘Feel a bit sick at Jo’s name being used in this way. The best way to honour Jo is for all of us (no matter our views) to stand up for what we believe in, passionately and with determination. But never to demonise the other side and always hold onto what we have in common.’