Jo Cox’s widow Brendan calls on families divided by Brexit to come together for Britain’s biggest street party since Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
THE GRIEVING widower of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox today calls on families divided by Brexit to come together for Britain’s biggest street party in years.
Brendan Cox will team up with the Duchess of Cornwall and charity backers today to launch “The Great Get Together” on June 17-18.
The event marks the one year anniversary of Jo’s death on the streets of her constituency of Batley and Spen in Birstall, West Yorkshire.
And Mr Cox said he hoped the event will be the biggest event of its kind since the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 with thousands of communities coming together at BBQs, picnics and bake-offs up and down the country.
Former PM David Cameron announced this afternoon he would back the initiative.
He told Radio 4 this morning: "We wanted to make sure it reflected Jo... we didn't want it to be a solemn event with silences and mourning. We wanted it to be joyful.
"Given that Jo's killing was designed to tear us apart, to bring communities apart, we wanted to show how united our country remains.
"There is a huge opportunity to give people that opportunity to come together with our neighbours."
Already there are a huge list of organisations behind the plans, he said, including the British Legion, Countryside Alliance, Scouts and the Church of England.
He went on: "We're tapping into something here... there is a desire from people who are a bit sick of the political debate... who just want an excuse to come back together."
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Writing in today’s Sun he says: “I hope the Get Together will be a chance for all of us to show that we have far more in common than what divides us.”
Tragic Jo was fatally shot and stabbed on June 16 last year – one week before the EU referendum.
Her killer, local man Thomas Mair, was convicted in November and given a whole life tariff.
She left behind Brendan and their two young children.
Mr Cox also said today that the public's emotional response to his wife's death has helped him to deal with it.
He said: "The shock of the event and because it was such a violent act... has meant that some of the pain has been numbed.
"I'm probably experiencing it over a longer time period. But the public solidarity and love has been such an important bit of actually dealing with it."