Jo Cox widower calls on families to come together for Britain’s biggest street party to mark anniversary of Labour MP’s death

THE widower of murdered Jo Cox today calls on families divided by Brexit to come together for Britain’s biggest street party in years.

Brendan Cox will team up with the Duchess of Cornwall and charity backers today to launch The Great Get Together on June 17 and 18.

It marks the first anniversary of the Labour MP’s death at the hands of Thomas Mair in her Batley and Spen constituency in West Yorks.

Mr Cox hopes to see communities across the nation come together at BBQs, picnics and bake-offs.

Here, he explains why . . .

When Jo was a little girl she used to go on long walks with her grandad Arthur, the postman in Batley.

The highlight of these was when they would stop for an Eccles cake.

But Jo got a lot more than cake and exercise from those walks.

They were where she got her love of community that shaped her politics and her life.

She loved how her grandad knew everyone, how he greeted people as friends and how fond they were of him.

She decided that when she grew up, she wanted that same connection.

When Jo left home she worked as an aid worker around the world but she always wanted to return to her home town of Batley.

Jo had been asked to stand for parliament a few times but had always refused — saying she didn’t want to just be an MP — she only ever wanted to be THE MP for her home town.

When she stood for and won the seat in 2015 Jo was elated.

Not because she was interested in climbing the greasy poll in Westminster — she turned down the promotions she was offered — but because she was exhilarated by what she could do locally and her renewed connection to her community.

When Jo was killed last year it was an act designed to divide her community, but it failed.

It showed her community and our country at their best, full of compassion and unity, united in the rejection of extremists no matter what their twisted ideology.

As we approach the anniversary of Jo’s murder we’ve been thinking about what Jo would want us to do.

And our conclusion is that she would want a massive party to show our unity and to celebrate what we have in common.

So that’s what we’re planning and we’d love you to take part.

Jo knew that sitting down for something to eat is one of the best ways to bring families and communities together.

So on June 17 and 18, millions of people will be taking part in what’s being called The Great Get Together.

It might be a street party or a barbecue.

Maybe just a little picnic in the park.

Or how about a bake-off contest in your own neighbourhood?

Invite your family and friends, even people you’ve never socialised with before.

You won’t be alone.

Organisations such as The Big Lunch, the Women’s Institute, the Scouts and Guides, Help for Heroes, lifeboat charity the RNLI, the Royal British Legion and the Premier League — and many others — are getting behind the idea.

Today we will be at Clarence House, London, where Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Jamie Oliver will help set the ball rolling.

There’s been a lot of talk of what divides us in recent months.

It feels like we’ve been bombarded with reasons why we shouldn’t get along.

While some people seem to relish whipping up hatred, I think most people are sick of it.

We know that it doesn’t reflect what makes our country such a great place to live.

So I hope the Great Get Together will be a chance for all of us to show that we have far more in common than what divides us.

No matter what your race, religion or colour may be. Regardless of how you vote or what you think about Europe or anything else.

The Great Get Together is a moment for us all to stand up and be counted.

Or maybe just to sit down and eat under-cooked sausages.

That is definitely something that would have made Jo smile.