Ten years after Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist, her widower Brendan Cox has spoken out following the death of Ann Widdecombe. The former Conservative MP and reality TV star was found dead at her home in Devon on Friday, and a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Brendan Cox's Reaction
Brendan Cox, whose wife Jo was shot and stabbed to death in 2016, said the news of Widdecombe's death was a 'horrific shock'. He told the Mirror: 'I never knew Ann Widdecombe, but you could tell from afar that she had a mischievous sense of fun and believed things with a passion.'
He added: 'She wasn't someone who changed her views or adapted them for convenience, or to keep up with the times – and, while I disagreed with her on so many things, her passion and sincerity was obvious.'
Painful Memories
Cox said the attack brought back all the pain and emotion of losing Jo. 'Of course for me it brings back all of the pain and emotion of losing Jo when she was murdered and I have a real sense of what Ann's family will be going through - the shock followed by the numbness followed by the rawness followed by the pain.'
He stressed that nothing could justify such an attack, and called for national unity: 'I hope the whole country comes together as they did when Jo was killed, to honour somebody who was a real public servant and who believed in doing her best to represent the people that she cared about.'
Background
Ann Widdecombe, 78, served as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010 and later became a television personality. She was found dead at her home in Dartmoor. Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder, but the motive is not yet known.
