A Stirling University lecturer has had to apologise over insensitive tweets about the late Jo Cox – to her friend.
Idrees Ahmad, a lecturer in the Stirling University journalism department, got into bother over a tweet sent to a friend of Jo Cox, Alison McGovern MP.
McGovern was described as Jo Cox’s best friend, and made a speech in Parliament after her death.
It started after McGovern, MP for Wirral South, said she had been listening to a speech by Tracy Brabin MP, and said she was “thinking of Jo”.
Ahmad then stated: “It is a bit unseemly to invoke Jo Cox when your vote reflected Thomas Mair’s preferences.”
Thomas Mair received a life sentence for the brutal murder of Jo Cox last year. Ahmad’s tweet was responded to by Brabin, whose maiden speech in Parliament was an homage to Cox’s memory.
Brabin replaced Jo Cox as MP for Batley and Spen after a by-election in October last year.
Alison McGovern’s response has been retweeted by Labour MP Chris Bryant, Mollie Goodfellow, editorial assistant at Sky News’ politics team, and 12 others.
