Murdered MP Jo Cox would be deeply concerned by divisions in UK, says sister
Murdered MP Jo Cox would have been “deeply concerned” at the current divisions in UK society but would not have shied away from the challenge of uniting people, her sister has said a decade on from the killing.
Kim Leadbeater described the 10th anniversary of her “wonderful” sister’s murder at the hands of a neo-Nazi in 2016 as a “moment in time” to urge political leaders especially not to “push people towards the extremes”.
She said it is crucial to “push back on the divisive rhetoric and the dangerous language” but declined to name names, saying she did not want to give “bad behaviour oxygen”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage recently faced widespread criticism for saying the public should feel “pure, cold rage” about the case of student Henry Nowak.
Violent protests erupted earlier this month in Southampton, near where the 18-year-old was fatally stabbed in December 2025, amid an outcry over his treatment by police. His killer Vickrum Digwa falsely claimed he had been the victim of a racial attack and Mr Nowak was handcuffed by police who ignored his pleas that he could not breathe as he lay dying.
Last week Elon Musk also came in for criticism over social media’s role in violence in Belfast which saw homes set alight and people targeted based on their race.
The billionaire X owner had used his online account to promote calls for people to take to the streets in response to an earlier knife attack in the city for which a Sudanese man appeared in court. Mr Musk hit back at accusations he was inflaming tensions and blamed immigration policy.
Ms Leadbeater said it is “absolutely fine to be angry about things”, from worries around immigration to the cost of living and housing, but not to stoke division.
She said: “You’ve got to decide if you want to take the debate forward and you want to work on solutions. And sadly, not everybody at the moment seems to be doing that.
“They seem to be shouting and not listening. And what that shouting does is it stokes that division. And it only takes one individual to not be able to draw the line between the anger and the violent language, and then acts of violence. And I find that deeply disturbing.
Published: by Radio NewsHub