Ten years ago, Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death by a far-right extremist and her ex husband Brendan Cox hopes Ann Widdecombe’s death provokes a similar coming-together
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.
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.
So it came as a horrific shock to hear of the news of her death. I think we probably all assumed that Ann’s death was from natural causes.
It wouldn’t have occurred to anyone that someone in her twilight years would have been subjected to what sounds like a horrific and senseless attack.
We obviously don’t know and can’t speculate on the motivation, rationale and motive for the attack. But what we can say is that there is nothing that could ever justify an attack like this.
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.
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.
Moments like this should pull us together as a country in shock, in solidarity, and in sympathy with everybody who is in pain from this horrific, senseless and outrageous murder.
