Wednesday, June 17, 2026
The toxic legacy of Brexit
Speaking to the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast Leadbeater, who was elected to the same Yorkshire seat held by Cox in a 2021 byelection, said everyone in public life had a responsibility to try and ease tensions.
Referencing the response of some politicians to the murder of Henry Nowak, which was followed by disorder in Southampton, Leadbeater said people should remember that those calling for division were “in the minority” but were very vocal.
Other people, she argued, “have got a duty to drown them out and tell the good stories of this country”.
“After Jo was killed, there was a period where people said all the right things and said: we need to do things differently, we need more compassion, we need more understanding,” said Leadbeater in an interview to mark the 10th anniversary of Cox’s murder by a far-right terrorist on 16 June 2016.
She said: “And it was very short-lived. And sadly and regrettably, I think over the last decade, if anything, things are worse. And I think we have to be honest about that.”
With the anniversary approaching, Leadbeater said, it was time to “have a look at how we can change that narrative”.
In comments marking 10 years since Cox’s death, Keir Starmer said the values she had lived by – that “we have far more in common than that which divides us” – were being tested anew.
He added: “At a time when those values are being tested, her legacy feels as vital and urgent as ever. The best way to honour her memory is to stand firmly against hatred and division, to bring communities together, and to show, through both big acts and small, the compassion, decency and solidarity that define our nation at its best.”
Leadbeater said the responsibility for that change lay with “everybody … including politicians and people in public office”.
“We have a voice,” she added. “We’re very lucky to have a voice and to have a platform. But with that voice and with that platform comes a very significant level of responsibility.
The impact of Brexit on the economy, the cost of living and the increase in non-European immigration has created conditions that have enabled bad actors like Farage and his fellow travellers to exploit people's fears for their own political gain.
As Leadbeater says, it is our responsibility to call this out for the sake of the future of our country.
