Boris Johnson Causes Fury By Saying The Best Way To Honour Jo Cox Is To Get Brexit Done

26 September 2019, 07:38

Boris Johnson has rejected calls by MPs to temper his language around Brexit - after being told it is fuelling abuse and death threats.

During angry exchanges in the Commons last night, the Prime Minister was urged to stop using phrases like "betrayal, traitor and surrender".

Labour's Tracy Brabin, who took over the seat left by the murdered MP Jo Cox, told Mr Johnson: "Hearing from the Prime Minister words like the Humiliation Act, the Surrender Act, the Capitulation Act, all of these words are suggesting that we, because we disagree with him, are traitors, we are not patriots.

"Nothing could be further from the truth.

"As the woman who has taken over a seat left by our dear friend Jo Cox, can I ask him, in all honesty as a human being, please please will he going forward moderate his language so that we will all feel secure when going about our jobs."

But Mr Johnson refused to relent, responding: "Of course there will be an attempt to try to obfuscate the effect of this act, the Capitulation Act or the Surrender Act, whatever you want to call it. It greatly enfeebles this government's ability to negotiate.

"The best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox and indeed the best way to bring this country together would be, I think, to get Brexit done.

"It is the continuing inability of this parliament to get Brexit done that is causing the anxiety and the ill-feeling that is now rampant in this country. Get it done and we will solve the problem."

Labour MP Paula Sherriff also took aim at the Prime Minister. She told the House of Commons: "This evening the Prime Minister has continually used pejorative language to describe an act of parliament passed by this House.

"We should not resort to using offensive, dangerous or inflammatory language for legislation that we do not like.

"We stand here under the shield of our departed friend [Jo Cox] with many of us here subjected to death threats and abuse every single day.

"And they often quote his words: Surrender Act, betrayal, traitor. And I for one are sick of it."

Mr Johnson's response was simply: "I have never heard so much humbug in all my life."