Sister of Jo Cox only meets constituents with appointments over fears of attack
The sister of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox has said she only meets constituents with an appointment over fears she could be targeted too.
Kim Leadbeater called for more to be done to protect politicians, who she said face a “shopping list” of threats, abuse and attacks.
In 2021 she was elected as a Labour MP to represent the same West Yorks seat of Batley and Spen her sister held until her death in 2016.
She said: “For lots of MPs things changed after Jo was killed around engagement with the public. Some MPs still do open surgeries, I don’t, and I never will.
“We do a lot of appointments where people will come to the office, but it's all pre-arranged.”
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Kim Leadbeater (left) sat down for an interview with GB News presenter Gloria De Piero (GB News)Ms Leadbeater told GB News: “I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me. I have chosen this… but I think it's also important that people understand the reality of what it's like to be an MP, or indeed a councillor.”
She added: “The last thing I want is for my parents, or partner, or family and friends, to get that phone call that, you know, no one should ever have to get.”
Labour MP Jo Cox, 41, was repeatedly shot and stabbed by an extreme rightwing terrorist on her way to a constituency surgery to meet with local residents in June 2016.
In October 2021, another MP, Conservative Sir David Amess, 69, was stabbed to death during a constituency meeting.
Following his murder Ms Leadbeater said her partner asked her to step down as an MP.
In October, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told how he lies awake at night fearing he will get yet another phone call telling him an MP has been murdered.
He has appealed to MPs to set an example to the public by showing respect for each other and to ensure they take up all security measures offered to them.
He said: “We continuously review, day in, day out, what we have to do with security. I always worry about the hate and the threats that have built up against staff.”
Ms Leadbeater said she carries three alarms to help safeguard against the risk of attack.
“One of those I just carry just because I’m a woman. But then a couple of others are linked to the police. It is weird that that's now what my life looks like,” she said.
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In the interview with Gloria De Piero, Ms Leadbeater also opened up about the grieving process.
She said: “Loss is very strange, grief is very strange. There's lots of layers around what happened to Jo. Clearly, the political nature of her murder, and the fact that it was taking place in a very toxic political environment and culture.
“The fact that it was news all around the world, so not only were we plunged into a world of loss and grief, but the world's media were on us as a family. If I'm honest, I haven't grieved. I'm nervous about grieving, because as soon as you open that box, you can't put it back in.”
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