MP’s family stand by Cox after sexual assault claims
THE FAMILY of murdered MP Jo Cox have pledged their support to her widower after sexual assault allegations from his past resurfaced.
Ms Cox’s sister Kim Leadbeater said Brendan Cox “did the right thing” in admitting “inappropriate” behaviour while he worked at Save the Children in 2015.
Mr Cox denied preying on two women while he was married to the late politician, but said: “I made mistakes and behaved in a way that caused some women hurt and offence.”
He has now left posts at More in Common and the Jo Cox Foundation after accusations were published, though he claimed allegations that he forced himself on a woman during a trip to Harvard University in the US were a “massive exaggeration”.
In a statement following his resignations at the weekend, Ms 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.
“My priority is and always will be looking after Jo and Brendan’s children and supporting my parents, who have already been through so much.
“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.”
Labour MP Mrs Cox was fatally shot and stabbed outside her constituency office by a far-right terrorist during the EU Referendum campaign in 2016.
She married in 2009 and had two children with Mr Cox.
The Mail on Sunday claimed he drunkenly harassed a female employee at Save the Children in London – allegedly holding her by the throat and making a lurid comment.
He left his role at the charity shortly afterwards.
In a statement he said: “I want to apologise deeply and unreservedly for my past behaviour and for the hurt and offence that I
have caused. While I do not accept the allegations contained in the 2015 complaint to the police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I do acknowledge and understand 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.”
He went on: “In the past I have focused on disputing what I felt was untrue in the allegations, but I realise now that it’s more important to take full responsibility for what I have done. I am committed to holding myself to much higher standards of personal conduct in the future.”
Labour backbench MP Jess Phillips, a friend of Ms Cox, said her widower was right to stand back from the charities.
She said: “I love Brendan, he’s my friend. His family are friends with my family, but the fact of the matter is, is that it’s not enough just to say ‘oh I’m sorry’, you have to show how you’re going to change the way you are in the future and I think Brendan, more so than many I’ve seen in this area is actually trying to do that.”
In an interview, Mr Cox refused to disclose what his wife knew of the allegations, but said: “We never pretended that we had the perfect relationship, or the perfect marriage. We had difficult times, we had amazing times, but I’m not going to recount conversations I had with her because she’s not here.”