Boris Johnson sparks fury as he tells Commons to 'honour' murdered MP Jo Cox by backing Brexit
5 min read
Boris Johnson faced an angry backlash after he told the House of Commons to "honour" murdered MP Jo Cox by getting behind his Brexit plans.
The Prime Minister was branded "deplorable" over the comments about the late Labour MP, who was killed by far-right terrorist Thomas Mair in the weeks leading up the 2016 EU referendum.
In angry Commons scenes, former colleagues of Ms Cox pointed to a plaque behind them honouring the late MP - while her husband Brendan attacked the use of "inflammatory" language on all sides of Britain's heated Brexit debate.
The row came to a head in the Commons late on Wednesday night as Labour MP Tracey Brabin condemned the use of terms including "traitors" to describe those in Parliament.
And she urged the Prime Minister - who repeatedly referred to a bill aimed at stopping a no-deal Brexit as the "surrender bill" throughout the debate - to "moderate his language so that we will all feel secure when we're going about our jobs".
But Mr Johnson replied: "The best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox and, indeed, the best way to bring this country together would be, I think, to get Brexit done.
"I absolutely do, I think it is the continuing inability of this parliament to get Brexit done that is causing the anxiety and the ill-feeling that is now rampant in our country.
"Get it done and we will solve the problem."
Challenged on his remarks later by Labour MP Rosie Duffield, the Prime Minister said: "I believe the continuing failure to deliver on the mandate of the people has greatly exacerbated feelings and the best way to reduce that tension is, as I say, to get it done."
Earlier in the evening, Mr Johnson had appeared to dismiss one Labour MP's reference to Ms Cox as "humbug".
Pointing to the plaque put up in the Commons chamber in honour of the slain MP, Labour's Paula Sheriff said: "We stand here under the shield of our departed friend, with many of us subject to death threats and abuse every single day.
"And let me tell the Prime Minister that they often quote his words: surrender act, betrayal, traitor.
"I for one am sick of it. We must moderate our language and it has to come from the Prime Minister first."
But Mr Johnson shot back: "I've never heard such humbug in all my life."
'NOT FIT TO HOLD THE OFFICE'
Labour's Jess Phillips - Birmingham Yardley MP and a friend of the late Ms Cox - told PoliticsHome: "I have literally this week received a death threat with Boris Johnson's words used in it, and citing him for saying them. He is deplorable and not fit to hold the office of Prime Minister."
Meanwhile Ms Cox's husband Brendan said he felt "a bit sick at Jo’s name being used in this way" - and urged all sides of the political divide to consider their language.
"The best way to honour Jo is for all of us (no matter our views) to stand up for what we believe in, passionately and with determination," he said.
"But never to demonise the other side and always hold onto what we have in common."
Mr Cox added: "Just to reiterate this is about the role we all play. Just as ‘surrender’ & ‘betrayal’ is inflammatory language, so is ‘coup’ and ‘fascist’. Let’s all play our part in dialing it down."
STEWART: DANGEROUS PATH
The Prime Minister's comments also drew anger from former Conservative MPs, with one-time leadership hopeful Rory Stewart accusing the Prime Minister of "tiptoeing onto a dangerous path - pitting Remain against Brexit, the people against Parliament".
Former Tory minister Nick Boles, who quit the Conservatives over Brexit and once served as Mr Johnson's chief of staff, said he was "ashamed ever to have worked for him or indulged him".
"Whether his term in office is long or short, Boris Johnson will go down in history as one of the most callous and reckless human beings ever to occupy No 10 Downing St," he tweeted.
Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan meanwhile said: "I know the PM is aware of & sympathetic about the threats far too many of us have received because I shared with him recently the threats I am getting. But at a time of strong feelings we all need to remind ourselves of the effect of everything we say on those watching us."
Raising a point of order, Labour's Lucy Powell - another friend of Ms Cox - said the MP's 2016 murder did not "happen in a vaccum".
"It happened in a context: a context that is not dissimilar to the context we find ourselves in today," she said.
"And I've heard from her family this evening. They've been very distressed at watching this place today and I know others have said it, but it has come from one side of the House.
"The language of surrender, of betrayal, of capitulation. This is the kind of language, this is the context that led to the murder of an MP, leaving her surgery of an evening in a small market town by somebody from the far right. And we cannot forget that context when we conduct ourselves."
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