London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 21, 2026

Keir Starmer mobbing caused job doubts - Jo Cox sister

Keir Starmer mobbing caused job doubts - Jo Cox sister

The sister of murdered MP Jo Cox has said watching Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer mobbed by protesters caused her to question why she entered politics.

Kim Leadbeater, who holds Ms Cox's Batley and Spen seat, said the scenes near Parliament were challenging on a "personal, human level".

The Labour MP warned the Prime Minister Boris Johnson was "stoking anger".

Mr Johnson has branded behaviour directed at Sir Keir on Monday afternoon "completely unacceptable".

He has been criticised for falsely claiming that Sir Keir, a former director of public prosecutions, personally failed to launch proceedings against serial sex abuser Jimmy Savile.

Sir Keir was surrounded on Monday by a group heard shouting "traitor" and criticising his record on Covid, along with some cries of "Jimmy Savile".

Speaking to BBC Woman's Hour, Ms Leadbeater said she debated whether to speak out on the issue with her family on Monday night as it leads to "pile-ons on social media".

"It totally throws you because it brings back memories of what happened to us as a family, it makes me question why I'm doing this job," she said.

"On a really personal, human level it's really challenging".

Brendan Cox, Jo Cox's widower, said: "I think the people that are directly responsible for what happened yesterday were the people that did it.

"However, it's also true that if you inject poison into politics, that has a whole set of unintended consequences that people will react to in different ways and at times that can lead over into intimidation, it can lead over to violence, it can lead over into extremism," he told the Today programme.

Ms Leadbeater warned of "a culture of toxicity, aggression and lies" in politics at present, adding: "We need good, strong women in politics, why would you look at what's going on and think you'd want to put yourself forward to be part of that."

At least seven Tory MPs have linked Monday's scenes to Mr Johnson's remark, which was made in the Houses of Commons in response to Sir Keir's criticisms following the publication of Sue Gray's abridged report into Downing Street lockdown parties.

Mr Johnson has refused to apologise but has rowed back on his comment, insisting he was not attacking Sir Keir's "personal record".

A No 10 source told the BBC it was unreasonable to suggest that what happened "was Boris's fault and not the mob's fault".


Watch the moment protesters surround Labour leader Keir Starmer


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
UK Retail Sentiment Improves as Summer Spending Boosts Consumer Confidence
UK Aid Cuts Draw Warnings From Charities Over Humanitarian Consequences
UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Guidance for Motor Finance Redress Scheme
UK Met Office Launches Aviation Programme to Reduce Climate Impact of Persistent Contrails
Former UK Civil Service Chief Received Record 500,000 Pound Severance Payment
West Midlands to Bring Bus Network Under Public Franchising Model
UK Government Drops Plan to Relax Affordable Housing Requirements After Backlash
UK Reaffirms Military Support for Ukraine Despite Russian Hybrid Warfare Threats
UK Technology Sector Expands Nearly 8 Percent as Digital Industry Outpaces Wider Economy
UK Drought Threatens Harvests Across England and Wales as Food Inflation Risks Persist
UK Government Pledges 442 Million Pounds to End Rough Sleeping by Christmas
UK Government Signals Willingness to Reconsider Digital Services Tax Amid US Tariff Threats
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9 Percent as Energy Costs Threaten Economic Recovery
NHS Hospitals Cancel Surgeries as Extreme Heat Pushes Ward Temperatures Above 40 Degrees Celsius
UK Heatwave Forces Emergency Measures as Wildfire Risk, Hospital Disruption and Drought Intensify
A Sleepless Night on Wall Street: Nasdaq to Begin Nearly Round-the-Clock Trading
"The First in the World": 69-Year-Old Protested Artificial Intelligence—and Went to Jail
Ukraine's Ousted Defence Minister Calls for Wartime Presidential Election
UK Marks Ten Years of Night Tube as London Weekend Usage Exceeds Eighty-One Thousand Journeys a Night
Met Office Issues Thunderstorm Warnings Across Northern Ireland Over Flash-Flood Risk
Frasers Group Raises Stake in Hugo Boss to Nearly Forty-Eight Percent
Scottish Clyde Marine Pilots Prepare for Strike That Could Disrupt Glasgow and Greenock Shipping
×