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| Brendan Cox, Husband of Murdered U.K. Lawmaker, Resigns Over Abuse Accusations | Brendan Cox, Husband of Murdered U.K. Lawmaker, Resigns Over Abuse Accusations |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| LONDON — The widower of the British lawmaker Jo Cox, who was killed in 2016 by a right-wing extremist, has stepped down from two charities created in her memory after accusations of sexual misconduct resurfaced in the British news media. | |
| Brendan Cox, who had sought to continue his wife’s advocacy work and had spoken out about the rise of hate in Britain, said on Twitter that he resigned from the organizations More in Common and the Jo Cox Foundation this past week. | Brendan Cox, who had sought to continue his wife’s advocacy work and had spoken out about the rise of hate in Britain, said on Twitter that he resigned from the organizations More in Common and the Jo Cox Foundation this past week. |
| He was accused of inappropriate behavior in 2015 by a woman who worked with him at the charity Save the Children, and of assaulting another woman at Harvard University that same year, according to Britain news reports. | He was accused of inappropriate behavior in 2015 by a woman who worked with him at the charity Save the Children, and of assaulting another woman at Harvard University that same year, according to Britain news reports. |
| The reports first resurfaced this weekend in the tabloid The Mail on Sunday. The article includes part of a Cambridge, Mass., police report showing that the woman in the Harvard episode, whose name has been redacted, had accused Mr. Cox of “indecent assault and battery.” | |
| The matter was later dropped, news reports said, though it is unclear why. | |
| In statements to news organizations and on Twitter this weekend, Mr. Cox strongly denied the 2015 accusations but apologized “deeply and unreservedly for my past behavior, and for the hurt and offense that I have caused.” | In statements to news organizations and on Twitter this weekend, Mr. Cox strongly denied the 2015 accusations but apologized “deeply and unreservedly for my past behavior, and for the hurt and offense that I have caused.” |
| In a post on Twitter on Saturday, he also acknowledged “mistakes I made several years ago while at Save the Children,” a charity that promotes children’s rights around the globe. “I take responsibility for my actions and will hold myself to a higher standard in the future,” he added. | In a post on Twitter on Saturday, he also acknowledged “mistakes I made several years ago while at Save the Children,” a charity that promotes children’s rights around the globe. “I take responsibility for my actions and will hold myself to a higher standard in the future,” he added. |
| In a statement, Save the Children said that it suspended Mr. Cox in 2015 and investigated accusations of “inappropriate behavior” against him, but that he had resigned before the inquiry was completed. The charity said its chief executive, Kevin Watkins, had ordered a review of its system for dealing with complaints about behavior in the workplace. | In a statement, Save the Children said that it suspended Mr. Cox in 2015 and investigated accusations of “inappropriate behavior” against him, but that he had resigned before the inquiry was completed. The charity said its chief executive, Kevin Watkins, had ordered a review of its system for dealing with complaints about behavior in the workplace. |
| According to the Cambridge police report, a woman went to a restaurant in Harvard Square with Mr. Cox on Oct. 29, 2015, and he “touched her inappropriately,” grabbed her by the hips several times, pulled her hair and “forced his thumb into her mouth in a sexual way.” | |
| The dinner took place a month after Mr. Cox resigned as a senior executive at Save the Children. | The dinner took place a month after Mr. Cox resigned as a senior executive at Save the Children. |
| Ms. Cox, 41, was a rising star in the opposition Labour Party and a passionate advocate for causes such as the victims of the civil war in Syria when she was shot in June 2016 in Birstall, England, one week before Britain’s referendum on membership in the European Union. She had supported remaining in the bloc. | Ms. Cox, 41, was a rising star in the opposition Labour Party and a passionate advocate for causes such as the victims of the civil war in Syria when she was shot in June 2016 in Birstall, England, one week before Britain’s referendum on membership in the European Union. She had supported remaining in the bloc. |
| In November 2016, a jury convicted Thomas Mair, then 53, of murder after a seven-day trial. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of a parole. In court, when asked for his name, he replied, “My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain.” | In November 2016, a jury convicted Thomas Mair, then 53, of murder after a seven-day trial. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of a parole. In court, when asked for his name, he replied, “My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain.” |
| On Sunday, Kim Leadbeater, a sister of Ms. Cox, said on the Jo Cox Foundation website: “As a family, we will support Brendan as he endeavors to do the right thing by admitting mistakes he may have made in the past, and we respect him for doing so.” | On Sunday, Kim Leadbeater, a sister of Ms. Cox, said on the Jo Cox Foundation website: “As a family, we will support Brendan as he endeavors to do the right thing by admitting mistakes he may have made in the past, and we respect him for doing so.” |