This is not Jo Cox’s legacy

There is a growing and wholly unwelcome trend of threatening and intimidating behaviour aimed at those going about their business in Parliament.

Pro-European MP Anna Soubry was verbally abused as she attempted to give an interview with the BBC outside the House. Protestors chanted ‘Nazi’ and she was jostled as she tried to re-enter the Palace of Westminster.

Is she right to object to such treatment — yes. Is she right to expect that public servants shouldn’t have to accept it as ‘part of the democratic process’ — again yes.

Not so long ago we saw a female MP, a mother of a young family, murdered.

Jo Cox’s widower, Brendan, has written in The Guardian of how her name is being used as a threat among certain factions, and that’s hard to bear.

Brendan Cox says that although it’s hard, sadly it’s something that he and his family have had to become used to with increasing regularity.

He went on to describe how the name of his wife is, in recent weeks, being used as a threat by more mainstream voices.

Anna Soubry was threatened by a man who said she should be “Jo Cox’d”. (The man responsible was jailed for eight weeks).

Helen Jones, Labour MP for Warrington North, was cited by a man holding a hunting knife who told social workers: “I’m going to go there and Jo Cox her.”

A third MP, Stella Creasy, received a threatening letter saying she would “join that woman Cox”. The SNP politicians Stewart Stevenson and Angus MacNeil were told to “remember what happened to Jo Cox” — the person responsible in that case was prosecuted and fined.

Mostly — although not exclusively — these threats have been made against women.

The debate rages around whether the police should do more to intervene and intervene earlier; Ms Soubry believes they should. No one wants to countenance how easy it is to move on from this level of bullying and intimidation to what happened to Mrs Cox.

This kind of thuggish behaviour is so at odds with the values of this great country I find it difficult to recognise the UK I know and love. These bullying factions will not succeed, but nor should they be tolerated at any level.

I commend the bravery and tenacity of our MPs; in particular the inspirational women who refuse to be intimidated for simply wanting to get on with looking after their constituencies and helping to create the best we know Britain can be. Please let us ensure this does not become Jo Cox’s legacy.

Happy New Year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46785357

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/08/murder-wife-jo-cox-cow-mps-threat-extremists