Tragic MP’s widower says centre politicians must reclaim patriotism from the far right
THE widower of MP Jo Cox has urged politicians in the centre ground to re-seize patriotism from the extreme right.
Brendan Cox said he felt the EU referendum had resulted in “heightened tension” in the UK, but that he did not believe the Leave vote was linked to the death of his wife in June.
Mrs Cox, 41, who was the Labour MP for Batley and Spen, died after being shot and stabbed outside her constituency office.
Speaking to The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One, Mr Cox cited the rise of US presidential hopeful Donald Trump and prominent far-right French politician Marine Le Pen as he suggested there had been an increased focus in recent months on “what divides us rather than what brings us together”.
He said: “There is something which is stirthis ring that I think at the moment the political centre is too complacent about.
“I think part of it is about re-seizing a patriotic narrative.
“Britain has a long tradition of tolerance, of diversity, of being an outward looking nation – it’s many of the things that made us a great country.
“But I feel we have ceded that narrative about patriotism, particularly to the extreme right, and I think we need to regain that narrative to define Britain in an inclusive way that brings it together rather than blames the migrant or the refugee or the Muslim for what might be going on in our country at any individual time.”
Father-of-two Mr Cox said he was “still in shock” at the death of his wife. He added: “I have spent a lot of the last period really focusing on Jo and her life and I try quite hard not to spend a lot of time dwelling on how she died.”
Thomas Mair, 53, has been charged with Mrs Cox’s murder, possession of a firearm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.