The widow of a man who tried to save the life of murdered MP Jo Cox has collected the George Medal on his behalf.

Doreen Kenny received the honour from the Queen at Buckingham Palace in place of her late husband, Bernard Kenny, who was stabbed as he intervened when Thomas Mair attacked Mrs Cox in his home village of Birstall, West Yorkshire, in June 2016.

The former miner died in August, aged 79, following a battle with cancer, before he could collect the medal for his bravery.

After Mrs Cox’s murder there were numerous calls for Mr Kenny to be honoured, including a petition aimed at securing him the George Cross – the highest possible civilian honour.

Jo Cox (Jo Cox Foundation/PA)

At Mair’s trial at the Old Bailey, the jury heard that the pensioner had been waiting for his wife outside the library in Birstall when he saw Mair going “berserk”.

He said in a statement to police: “I thought if I could jump on to the back, I could take him down.

“I thought he was thumping her until I saw the blood. I saw he had a knife in his hands. It was what I call a dagger. The blade was about nine inches.

“Just as I got short of him, he turned around and saw me. He shoved the knife in and it hit me in the stomach. The blood started pouring out between my fingers. I saw the blood and I thought ‘Oh my God’.”

Mr Kenny described Mair’s actions as a “pure act of evil”.

After the attack, more than 80,000 people signed an online petition calling for Mr Kenny to be awarded the George Cross for his bravery.

Mr Kenny, who shared a birthday with Mrs Cox, worked as a miner for 40 years and was a former member of the Gomersal Mines Rescue team, which tried to save victims of the Lofthouse Colliery disaster in 1973.

Neo-Nazi Mair was given a whole life sentence for the murder of Mrs Cox, and was also found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Kenny and possession of a gun and dagger.