Politicians must follow my friend Jo Cox's example, says SNP's Eilidh Whiteford

Labour MP Jo Cox (Yui Mok/PA Wire) — Jo Cox (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

THE legacy of murdered MP Jo Cox should be in the thoughts of every politician returning to election campaigning, one of her friends has claimed.

SNP Westminster candidate Eilidh Whiteford has opened up about her pal for the first time, just weeks before the first anniversary of the Labour MP’s murder.

Miss Whiteford said Mrs Cox’s dedication to breaking down barriers in communities should not be forgotten, especially given the terror attack in Manchester last week.

She said: “It is important we remember her positive legacy, especially in the week when we’ve had the most monstrous, appalling crime.

“It is so important we do not let terrorists define us.

“Actually, the folk in Manchester should be a lesson for all politicians.

“You saw people queueing at blood banks, taxi drivers driving people home for free and the way people have pulled together.

“That is the example, this is the way Jo did things, and that is how we tell the terrorists they will not win.“

Miss Whiteford, who is contesting the Banff and Buchan seat she has held as an MP for the last seven years, first met Mrs Cox when she was policy and campaigns manager for Oxfam in Scotland, and Mrs Cox was heading up the aid agency’s Brussels office.

She said: “Jo was only in her 20s but she was a very motivating person, inspiring and hugely talented.

“She was fun to be around, great fun and a very grounded, down-to- earth person.

“Jo and I represented the place we grew up and that is a rare thing.

“I’m just a normal person who wants to live here, I don’t want to live behind walls and although we had to rethink things with police advice, that is the way MPs have to be.

“One of the things that moved me so much from the trial of Jo’s murderer was that, even in her dying moments, she was trying to protect her staff.

“That epitomised her, so let’s not terrorism of any description define us; let’s celebrate the things we do, and put emphasis on the things that unite us.”