20/06/2016

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:00:07. > :00:21.Order. Colleagues, we meet today in heartbreaking sadness, but also in

:00:22. > :00:30.heartfelt solidarity. Any death in such awful circumstances is an

:00:31. > :00:39.outrage and a tragedy. Yet this death in this manner of this person,

:00:40. > :00:47.our democratically elected colleague Jo Cox, is particularly shocking and

:00:48. > :00:57.repugnant. All of us who came to know her during her all too short

:00:58. > :01:05.service in this house became swiftly aware of her outstanding qualities.

:01:06. > :01:16.She was caring, eloquent, principled and wise. Above all, she was filled

:01:17. > :01:26.with and fuelled by love for humanity. Devoted to her family and

:01:27. > :01:35.a relentless campaigner for equality, human rights and social

:01:36. > :01:41.justice. She was proud to be a member of Parliament for Batley and

:01:42. > :01:49.Spen. That was where she had her roots and she was determined to live

:01:50. > :01:59.life to the full. She succeeded superbly. She was murdered in the

:02:00. > :02:08.course of her duty. Serving constituents in need. She fought for

:02:09. > :02:16.them, just as she fought for others, at home and abroad. People who are

:02:17. > :02:28.victims of poverty, discrimination or injustice. An attack like this

:02:29. > :02:39.strike not only at an individual, but at our freedom. That is why we

:02:40. > :02:50.assemble here, both to honour Jo and to redouble our dedication to

:02:51. > :02:58.democracy. I call the leader of the position, Jeremy Corbyn,. Thank you,

:02:59. > :03:03.Mr Speaker. Last Thursday, Jo Cox was doing what all of us here do.

:03:04. > :03:12.Representing observing the people who elected her. We have lost one of

:03:13. > :03:18.our own and our society as a whole has lost one of our very best. She

:03:19. > :03:25.had spent her life serving and campaigning for other people.

:03:26. > :03:29.Whether as a worker for Oxfam or for the anti-slavery charity the freedom

:03:30. > :03:37.front as a political activist and as a feminist. The horrific act that

:03:38. > :03:42.occur from us was an attack on democracy, now whole country. They

:03:43. > :03:47.have been shocked and saddened by it. In the days since, the country

:03:48. > :03:51.has also learned something of the extraordinary humanity and

:03:52. > :03:58.compassion which drove her political activism and beliefs. Jo Cox didn't

:03:59. > :04:06.just believe in loving your neighbour. She believed in loving

:04:07. > :04:11.her neighbours neighbour. She saw a world of neighbours. She believed

:04:12. > :04:18.every life counted. And counted equally. In a very moving tribute,

:04:19. > :04:21.Kate Allen, the director of Amnesty International said... Her

:04:22. > :04:27.campaigning on refugees, Syria and the rights of women and girls made

:04:28. > :04:31.her stand out as an MP, who always put the lives of the most vulnerable

:04:32. > :04:38.at the heart of her work. Her former colleague at the Freedom fund

:04:39. > :04:44.said... She was a powerful champion for the world's most vulnerable and

:04:45. > :04:47.marginalised. She spoke out in support of refugees, for the

:04:48. > :04:52.Palestinian people and against Islamophobia in this country. Her

:04:53. > :04:59.integrity and talent was known by everyone in this house. By the

:05:00. > :05:05.community of Batley and Spen, which is proudly represented here for the

:05:06. > :05:10.past year. But it was that community that brought her up. As well as her

:05:11. > :05:16.wonderful family, to whom we share their grief today. Her community and

:05:17. > :05:25.the whole country has been united in grief. And United in rejecting the

:05:26. > :05:28.world of hatred that killed her. In what increasingly appears to have

:05:29. > :05:34.been an act of extreme political violence. We are filled with sorrow

:05:35. > :05:41.for her husband, Brendan, and young children. They will never see her

:05:42. > :05:47.again, but they can be so proud of everything she was, all she achieved

:05:48. > :05:54.and all she stood for, as we are. As are her parents, as is her sister

:05:55. > :06:01.and her whole wider family. She would have been 42 this Wednesday.

:06:02. > :06:07.She had much more to give. And much more that she would have achieved. I

:06:08. > :06:15.want to thank the heroes who tried to intervene Bernard Kenny, the

:06:16. > :06:21.77-year-old former miner saw the need and ran to her aid. He was

:06:22. > :06:26.stabbed and taken to hospital. I'm sure the whole house will join me in

:06:27. > :06:36.wishing him a speedy and full recovery. Many shopkeepers and

:06:37. > :06:39.bystanders also try to help. They administered first aid to both Jo

:06:40. > :06:42.and Bernard. The police officers who made the arrest and the national

:06:43. > :06:52.health service paramedics who were on so quickly. In her maiden speech

:06:53. > :06:57.last year, she said this... "Our communities have been deeply

:06:58. > :07:02.enhanced by immigration. While we celebrate our diversity, what is

:07:03. > :07:07.surprising time and time again, as I travel around the constituency is

:07:08. > :07:15.that we are far more can I did and have far more in common with other

:07:16. > :07:20.things that divide us. Far more united." We need a kinder and

:07:21. > :07:26.gentler politics. This is not a factional party political point. We

:07:27. > :07:36.all a responsibility not to whip up hatred or division. Thank you and Mr

:07:37. > :07:40.Speaker. And thank you to the Prime Minister and to Rose Hudson Wilkins,

:07:41. > :07:47.our wonderful chaplain for accompanying me to the vigil for her

:07:48. > :07:54.last Friday Birstall. At the statue in the centre of that lovely town.

:07:55. > :07:57.We, all of us, were moved by the unity and warmth of the crowd

:07:58. > :08:04.brought together in grief and solidarity. I had been very moved by

:08:05. > :08:08.the public outpourings since her death. The hundreds of letters and

:08:09. > :08:16.e-mails we have all received in solidarity with her family in their

:08:17. > :08:23.hour of grief. And by the outpouring of charitable donations to causes

:08:24. > :08:31.close to her heart. -- Rose Hudson-Wilkin. Last night, my

:08:32. > :08:36.honourable friend and myself held a vigil outside our town hall. One of

:08:37. > :08:41.hundreds of vigils attended by tens of thousands of people right across

:08:42. > :08:45.our land who are so shocked by what has happened and want to express

:08:46. > :08:50.that shocked and grief. I also want to thank the other parties in this

:08:51. > :08:56.house who have offered their sympathy and support at this very

:08:57. > :09:03.difficult time. We are united in grief at her loss. And we must be

:09:04. > :09:12.aware that her killing is an attack on our democracy. It is an attack on

:09:13. > :09:18.our whole society. As my friend wrote recently... "Her life was a

:09:19. > :09:24.demonstration against despair. And in her tragic death we can come

:09:25. > :09:34.together to change our politics, to tolerate a little more and condemn a

:09:35. > :09:38.little less. " Her husband said... " Jo believed in a better world. And

:09:39. > :09:46.she fought for it every day of her life, with an energy and a zest for

:09:47. > :09:53.life that would exhaust most people. Today, we remember her compassion

:09:54. > :09:58.and a passion to create a better world and in her honour, Mr Speaker,

:09:59. > :10:05.we recommit ourselves to that task. Thank you.

:10:06. > :10:14.Thank you, Mr Speaker. We are here the data remember an extraordinary

:10:15. > :10:19.colleague and friend. Jo Cox was a voice of compassion, whose boundless

:10:20. > :10:25.energy lit up the lives of all who knew her and saved the lives of many

:10:26. > :10:30.she never ever met. Today we grieve her loss and we hold in our hearts

:10:31. > :10:35.and prayers her husband Brendan, her parents and sister, and her two

:10:36. > :10:39.children, who are just three and five years old. We express our anger

:10:40. > :10:45.at the sickening and despicable attack that killed her, as she did

:10:46. > :10:49.her job serving her constituents on the street of Birstall. And let me

:10:50. > :10:52.join the Leader of the Opposition in his moving words in praising Bernard

:10:53. > :10:59.Kenny and all those who tried to save her. Above all in this house,

:11:00. > :11:02.we pay tribute to a loving, determined, passionate and

:11:03. > :11:07.progressive politician, who epitomised the best of humanity and

:11:08. > :11:14.who proved it so often the power of politics to make our world a better

:11:15. > :11:20.place. I first met Jo in 2006 in Darfur. She was doing what she was a

:11:21. > :11:24.brilliant at, bravely working in one of the most dangerous part of the

:11:25. > :11:29.world, fighting for the lives of refugees. Her decision to welcome

:11:30. > :11:34.me, then Leader of the Opposition, had not been entirely welcome of her

:11:35. > :11:36.colleagues and friends, but it was typical of her determination to

:11:37. > :11:41.reach cross party lines on issues that she thought was a much more

:11:42. > :11:45.important than party politics. Jo was a humanitarian to her call,

:11:46. > :11:50.passionate and body and campaigner, whose grit and determination to

:11:51. > :11:57.fight for justice saw hope time and time again driving issues up the

:11:58. > :12:01.agenda and making people listen and act. Drawing attention to conflict

:12:02. > :12:06.in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping expose the

:12:07. > :12:11.despicable practice of rape in war, her work with Sarah Brown in cutting

:12:12. > :12:15.mortality in childbirth, her support refugees fleeing the war in Syria.

:12:16. > :12:22.Quite simply there are people on the planet today who are only here and

:12:23. > :12:25.life because of that one. She was a committed Democrat and a passionate

:12:26. > :12:29.feminist. She spent years encouraging and supporting women

:12:30. > :12:34.around the world to stand for office long before she did so herself. When

:12:35. > :12:39.she herself was elected as an MP over a year ago, she said one of her

:12:40. > :12:43.colleagues that she did not just want to be known for flying around

:12:44. > :12:47.the world tackling international in shoes, but she had a profound duty

:12:48. > :12:53.to stand up for the people of Batley and Spen and she was as good as her

:12:54. > :12:56.word. As she said in her maiden speech, Jo was proud to be made in

:12:57. > :13:00.Yorkshire and to serve the area in which he

:13:01. > :13:09.Yorkshire and to serve the area in which she had grown up. She belonged

:13:10. > :13:12.there, in in a truly multiethnic and multi-faith community, she made

:13:13. > :13:15.others belong to. The outpouring of unity in the tribute we have seen

:13:16. > :13:21.shows the extraordinary reach and impact of her message. In

:13:22. > :13:26.remembering Jo, we show what she said in this has to be true, I know

:13:27. > :13:29.it will be quoted many times today, we are far more united and far more

:13:30. > :13:35.in common with each other than things that deny us. This Wednesday,

:13:36. > :13:41.it would have been Jo's 42nd birthday, and there will be a global

:13:42. > :13:47.celebration of her life and values, with simultaneous events across the

:13:48. > :13:51.world. She should have been celebrating her birthday by hosting

:13:52. > :13:56.her traditional summer solstice party. And it reminds us that behind

:13:57. > :14:01.the formidable professional, was a loving and fun mother, daughter,

:14:02. > :14:06.sister, wife and friend. With the warm, welcoming smile and so often,

:14:07. > :14:10.laughter in her voice. Jo brought people together, she saw the best in

:14:11. > :14:16.people, and she brought out the best in them. A brave adventurer and a

:14:17. > :14:20.keen climber, she was never daunted. When most people hear of a place

:14:21. > :14:28.called the inaccessible pinnacle, they leave it well alone. Not Jo.

:14:29. > :14:33.She did not just climb it, she abseiled down it and did so despite

:14:34. > :14:36.a bad case of morning sickness. It was her irrepressible spirit that

:14:37. > :14:43.help to give her such determination of focus in her politics. The

:14:44. > :14:46.Conservative colleague of mine said this weekend, if you lost your way

:14:47. > :14:49.for a moment in the cut and thrust of political life, meeting Jo would

:14:50. > :14:53.remind you why you went into politics in the first place. There

:14:54. > :14:56.have been so many moving tribute in the past few days, but if I may, I

:14:57. > :15:02.would like to quote from someone already mentioned, the Honourable

:15:03. > :15:07.member for rural South. Jo, we mourn your loss let know that all that you

:15:08. > :15:11.stood for is unbreakable. We promise to stand up even though we are

:15:12. > :15:15.broken. We promise that we will never be cowed by hate. Mr Speaker,

:15:16. > :15:20.may we and the generations of members that follow us in this house

:15:21. > :15:26.on a Jo's memory by proving that the democracy and freedom is Jo stood

:15:27. > :15:30.far are it indeed unbreakable, by continuing to stand up for our

:15:31. > :15:35.constituents and bite uniting against the hatred that killed her,

:15:36. > :15:39.today and forever more. -- and by uniting against the hatred that

:15:40. > :15:47.killed her. Rachel Reeves.

:15:48. > :15:52.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I stand today to honour a friend and a colleague.

:15:53. > :15:59.Along with shock, anger and grief, I have very memory fond memories of

:16:00. > :16:02.Jo. We knew each other for around ten years, I knew her husband

:16:03. > :16:06.Brendan for longer than that. We first met at a Labour students

:16:07. > :16:11.conference 18 years ago and it was through Brendan that I first met Jo.

:16:12. > :16:15.I render them coming round for dinner at the House of my husband

:16:16. > :16:20.and I in London and asked visiting them on their boat, first in

:16:21. > :16:23.Ladbroke Grove and then in Wapping. I remember worrying that I had drunk

:16:24. > :16:29.too much wine early in the evening until I realised that it was the

:16:30. > :16:35.boat that was lying. And not me. -- the boat was swaying, and not me! I

:16:36. > :16:39.remember talking with Joe about her future after I became an MP. She was

:16:40. > :16:46.thinking about standing for Parliament and spent a day shadowing

:16:47. > :16:52.me, talking about constituent's problems, attending meetings. By the

:16:53. > :16:56.end of the day, a lot of people were not sure who the MP was and he was

:16:57. > :17:03.doing the shadowing. Jo had away with people, a way of relating to

:17:04. > :17:07.people from all walks fly. Our main hesitation about a Parliamentary

:17:08. > :17:10.career was her young family. She worried as many of us do about

:17:11. > :17:14.whether you can be a great MP and a great mum at the same time. But when

:17:15. > :17:18.the opportunities came up to represent her home seed of Batley

:17:19. > :17:24.and Spen, Jo felt a special responsibly keep to step up and do

:17:25. > :17:29.what she could about the place that she was born, grew up and went to

:17:30. > :17:34.school, the place she called home. Jo wanted to make the world more

:17:35. > :17:43.equal, fairer and more tolerant. We all have better instincts and

:17:44. > :17:49.deepest fears. We all. Jo appeal to our greater instincts, -- our better

:17:50. > :17:54.instincts. On Friday morning, less than 24 hours after Jo was killed, I

:17:55. > :17:59.sat in a copy shop in Jo a few minutes away from where she had been

:18:00. > :18:03.murdered. A woman came over and said she had not know Jo, but that her

:18:04. > :18:07.death had made her want to be a bit more like her. A better person, a

:18:08. > :18:13.better mother, a better daughter, a better wife. It is ironic that after

:18:14. > :18:17.travelling the world to some of the most damaged and war-ravaged faces

:18:18. > :18:21.in the world, she died so near to her home. But she died doing the

:18:22. > :18:24.jobs that she loved, in the place that she loved, representing the

:18:25. > :18:28.people that she loved. Her mum and dad said to me that Jo would not

:18:29. > :18:32.have changed a thing. She lived the life that she would have wanted to

:18:33. > :18:38.live. But in her mum's words, she had so much more than she could have

:18:39. > :18:48.done. Jo was struck down much too soon. So it now falls on all of our

:18:49. > :18:52.shoulders, the women I met at the cafe, Jo's MPs and friends and all

:18:53. > :18:56.others to carry on her work, to serve others with dignity and love,

:18:57. > :19:03.and that is the best way that we can remember Jo and she stood for. But

:19:04. > :19:11.last, let me say this. Batley and Spen will go on to elect a new MP,

:19:12. > :19:17.but no one can replace a mother. Mr Andrew Mitchell.

:19:18. > :19:22.Mr Speaker, today we mourn the terrible loss of our friend and

:19:23. > :19:29.colleague Jo, so tragically murdered as she went about her constituency

:19:30. > :19:33.duties last Thursday. Life has been taken of a truly exceptional woman,

:19:34. > :19:37.whose goodness and passionate dedication to humanitarian values

:19:38. > :19:43.has inspired us all. I knew her as a friend, but how unbearable must it

:19:44. > :19:47.be for those who mourn her other daughter, sister, husband, and above

:19:48. > :19:56.all, as the beloved mum, who they used to visit city each week in

:19:57. > :20:00.portcullis house. -- visit 4p. I first met her when we marched

:20:01. > :20:07.against injustice in Darfur war, and on to visit there, where she hoped

:20:08. > :20:12.developed a central humanitarian role for Oxfam. The Leader of the

:20:13. > :20:14.Opposition as he then was, and I, stayed there with her and other

:20:15. > :20:20.humanitarian workers, and witnessed her crucial role for Oxfam in

:20:21. > :20:27.supporting women and children and securing water for thousands of

:20:28. > :20:32.refugees in refugee camps. She gave me the green wristband I'll wear

:20:33. > :20:36.still, to ensure that we remember the desperate people caught up in

:20:37. > :20:42.what President Bush rightly described as a genocide. It is

:20:43. > :20:45.amongst her many friends and colleagues in the international

:20:46. > :20:51.humanitarian and development family, all around the world, of which she

:20:52. > :20:56.was such a respected and experienced member, that she will be mourned and

:20:57. > :21:01.remembered as a staunch friend of the most desperate and the fried in

:21:02. > :21:04.our world, and as a campaigner against -- desperate and deprived in

:21:05. > :21:11.our world, and a campaigner against injustice. When she entered this

:21:12. > :21:15.house 13 short months ago, she rapidly used her knowledge to

:21:16. > :21:18.champion the dispossessed. She was happy Mac labour to her picking

:21:19. > :21:28.tips, but recklessly dismissive of party political manoeuvring which

:21:29. > :21:32.she saw as a barrier to progress. Making common cause with a crusty

:21:33. > :21:40.old story, she and I became co-chair of the -- crusty old Tory, she now

:21:41. > :21:46.became co-chair of the friends for Syria. We invited ourselves to the

:21:47. > :21:51.Russian ambassador's residents. With cleverness -- with clever charm but

:21:52. > :21:57.steely determination, this five foot bundle of old French and Yorkshire

:21:58. > :22:01.common sense dressing down for his country's -- of Yorkshire common

:22:02. > :22:06.sense dressed him down for his country's cynicism. And cruelty. I

:22:07. > :22:10.believe he will not forget that the visit. I think there are many things

:22:11. > :22:17.Jo would like us to remember this afternoon. May I mentioned just two?

:22:18. > :22:20.I do not believe she would want this vile and unspeakable act to change

:22:21. > :22:26.the open and access above relationship we enjoy our

:22:27. > :22:30.constituents. -- accessible relationship. All of us take the

:22:31. > :22:35.advice of our local police in protecting those who work and

:22:36. > :22:41.support us. Thankfully, the record shows these attacks are as

:22:42. > :22:46.infrequent as they are disgraceful. Secondly, Jo would want us in this

:22:47. > :22:50.house to redouble our efforts to resolve the greatest catastrophe of

:22:51. > :22:56.our age, the crisis in Syria, where the lives of more than 11 million

:22:57. > :22:59.people have been ruined while the international community has shown

:23:00. > :23:07.itself disorganised, ineffective and supine. But Mr Speaker, I mourn Jo

:23:08. > :23:15.today as a friend and as a colleague. But most of all, I mourn

:23:16. > :23:20.for her as a mother, whose two gorgeous children will now have to

:23:21. > :23:26.chart the shoals and eddies of life without the love and support of

:23:27. > :23:32.their wonderful, lovely mum. Harriet Harman. Thank you, Mr Speaker, I

:23:33. > :23:38.want to add to the very moving tributes to Jo. I got to know her

:23:39. > :23:41.after the 2010 election when she was elected to chair labour women's

:23:42. > :23:44.network which she did for four years and she would regularly burst into

:23:45. > :23:49.my office is that extraordinary energy she had, and tell me all that

:23:50. > :23:54.they were doing to help Labour women get elected apartment, give women a

:23:55. > :24:00.bigger voice in the party, and so many of the women who are here today

:24:01. > :24:05.who were elected in 2015, and who are so deeply morning Jo's loss,

:24:06. > :24:10.were women that under Jo's leadership, the Labour women network

:24:11. > :24:13.supported. Not long after she had her son, she came to give me one of

:24:14. > :24:18.those regular briefings and the baby came as well and I remember it

:24:19. > :24:22.because she literally did not stop kissing him all the way through the

:24:23. > :24:25.meeting. And when she had her daughter, she was still there for

:24:26. > :24:28.the women who were trying to become candidates, texting and support,

:24:29. > :24:34.phoning to commiserate if they did not make it, urging them to try

:24:35. > :24:39.again. Her feminism, her solidarity with other women, was a thread that

:24:40. > :24:45.ran through her and all her work in her community and for humanitarian

:24:46. > :24:51.causes. She always said to me, in fact a key, that her children were

:24:52. > :24:56.her priority above everything. -- emphatically. There was no dividing

:24:57. > :25:00.line between her maternal heart and her great political heart. Her

:25:01. > :25:06.children will grow up to know what an amazing woman her mother was. She

:25:07. > :25:11.is such a great loss to our politics, and irreplaceable loss to

:25:12. > :25:16.our family -- her family, to whom we sent our heartfelt entity.

:25:17. > :25:27.What an amazing woman. She was one of us. She was clearly a remarkable

:25:28. > :25:32.person. These are not my comments, although I clearly concur with them.

:25:33. > :25:35.These were just some of the many comments I heard from constituents

:25:36. > :25:40.and from those I met over the weekend in Batley and Spen.

:25:41. > :25:43.Conscious of time and wanted to ensure her friends have the

:25:44. > :25:48.opportunity to speak, I make this short but heartfelt contribution of

:25:49. > :25:54.the half of my fellow Yorkshire Conservative MPs. I first met Jo

:25:55. > :26:01.just over one year ago. It was not long after the General Election and

:26:02. > :26:04.we were both appearing on a show. On arriving at the studio, I was taken

:26:05. > :26:08.to be make up room, where she was already sitting in the chair.

:26:09. > :26:14.Needless to say, I had to spend a lot longer in that chair than she

:26:15. > :26:18.did. But as I walked in, she looked at me in the reflection of the

:26:19. > :26:23.mirror and greeted me with that wonderful smile that lit her whole

:26:24. > :26:29.face. In that instant, that split second, I knew this was someone I

:26:30. > :26:34.was going to like enormously. And I was not wrong. As we recorded the

:26:35. > :26:38.programme, it was clear that we agreed with each other on a number

:26:39. > :26:41.of issues. And I am sure that the lack of political argument came as a

:26:42. > :26:47.huge disappointment to producers. But it is a testament to who she

:26:48. > :26:51.was. That she got her point across effectively and calmly, without the

:26:52. > :26:56.need for talking over people. Because when she spoke, people

:26:57. > :27:00.listened. She was always passionate about the issue she cared about,

:27:01. > :27:07.never afraid to stand up for those she felt had no voice, but she was

:27:08. > :27:11.also a proud Yorkshire woman. And our county are rightly proud of her.

:27:12. > :27:15.As I spent time in Birstall and Batley over this weekend, it was

:27:16. > :27:20.clear that her constituents loved her. Almost everyone I have spoken

:27:21. > :27:26.to have met her, quite an achievement in just one year. And as

:27:27. > :27:33.the tributes increased, you could sense the outpouring of love for Jo.

:27:34. > :27:39.On Friday, 2000 people from all faiths and none packed into the

:27:40. > :27:43.centre in Batley and tribute after tribute spoke of the qualities of

:27:44. > :27:47.one of the most outstanding members of this house. Many described her as

:27:48. > :27:55.a rising star. Personally, I think she was a star. And the statements

:27:56. > :27:59.from her husband, sister and family have been powerful, inclusive and

:28:00. > :28:04.passionate. They demonstrate the background from which many of her

:28:05. > :28:07.values came. In her maiden speech, she talks about how we are farming

:28:08. > :28:12.in united and have far more in common than things that divide us.

:28:13. > :28:17.-- far more united. She promoted those values in everything she did.

:28:18. > :28:22.To unite communities and campaign for things to unify people. She

:28:23. > :28:27.cared so passionately about that. I have been amazed at the kindness and

:28:28. > :28:35.love expressed in social media, e-mails, letters, cards and

:28:36. > :28:40.conversations. The thank your MP hashtag has encouraged so much

:28:41. > :28:47.gratification. In her tragic death, she is achieving what she

:28:48. > :28:51.successfully did so much in her life. I know I am not alone in

:28:52. > :28:57.saying I will miss her. I will miss her compassion, her determination,

:28:58. > :29:03.her conviction. But above all other with her smile, whether it be as we

:29:04. > :29:08.passed each other in the corridor or from across the chamber. She was a

:29:09. > :29:13.proud Yorkshire lass, a brilliant Yorkshire Rose. And my only regret

:29:14. > :29:24.about her is that I only knew her for one year. Stephen Kinnock. Thank

:29:25. > :29:28.you. We have been friends for over 20 years and a wonderful 12-month

:29:29. > :29:33.sharing an office in our election last May. She used use my cupboard

:29:34. > :29:38.as a wardrobe and I will never forget her dashing around in her

:29:39. > :29:41.cycling gear, grabbing her clothes and shouting something over her

:29:42. > :29:45.shoulder about her latest campaign. She often brought her children into

:29:46. > :29:50.the office with her. If I was lucky, I would get a dinosaur drawing for a

:29:51. > :29:55.chance to read them a story. They are wonderful kids, who are truly

:29:56. > :29:58.bathed in love. The murder of Jo Cox was a national tragedy. But we must

:29:59. > :30:04.also remember the unspeakable personal suffering that it has

:30:05. > :30:09.caused. Her family have lost a loving mother, wife, daughter and

:30:10. > :30:14.sister. The fearless lest Jo Cox never stopped fighting for what is

:30:15. > :30:19.right. She gave a voice to the voiceless, she spoke truth to power.

:30:20. > :30:25.She exemplified the best values of our party and our country,

:30:26. > :30:29.compassion, community, solidarity and internationalism. She put her

:30:30. > :30:34.convictions to work for everyone she touched. For the people of Batley

:30:35. > :30:40.and Spen, for the wretched Assyria, for the victims of violence and

:30:41. > :30:44.injustice everywhere. On Thursday, she was assassinated because of what

:30:45. > :30:49.she was, because of what she stood for. -- people of Syria. Out of the

:30:50. > :30:56.darkness must now come the shining light of her legacy. So let us build

:30:57. > :31:02.a politics not have hope -- of hope, not there. Respect not hate. Unity,

:31:03. > :31:07.not division. I can only imagine her reaction, had she seen the poster

:31:08. > :31:12.unveiled hours before her death. A post on the streets of Britain that

:31:13. > :31:17.demonised hundreds of refugees, including terrified children fleeing

:31:18. > :31:22.from Russian bombs and Isis. She would have responded with outrage,

:31:23. > :31:29.they robust rejection of the calculated narrative of cynicism.

:31:30. > :31:35.Because she understood that rhetoric has consequences. When insecurity,

:31:36. > :31:41.fear and anger are used to like a fuse, then an explosion is

:31:42. > :31:44.inevitable. In a deeply moving tribute, her husband urged the

:31:45. > :31:50.people to unite and fight against the hatred that killed her. It is a

:31:51. > :31:54.politics of division and there. The harking back to inventory slogans

:31:55. > :32:03.and the rhetoric of Britain first that twists patriotism from love of

:32:04. > :32:08.country to a ugly loathing of others. We must stand up for

:32:09. > :32:13.something better because of someone better. We must not let this

:32:14. > :32:18.atrocity intimidate our democracy. We must now work to build a more

:32:19. > :32:23.respectful and United country. Because this is our time to honour

:32:24. > :32:28.the legacy of the proud Yorkshire lass who dedicated her life to the

:32:29. > :32:34.common good and he was so cruelly taken away from us in the prime of

:32:35. > :32:43.her life. Jo Cox, we love you, we salute you. And we shall never

:32:44. > :32:48.forget you. Jo Cox was a politician that spanned continents and

:32:49. > :32:52.political parties. Amongst other causes, she campaigned alongside

:32:53. > :32:56.many of us on behalf of people with autism and with her death we have

:32:57. > :33:02.lost a powerful advocate. When I came into this house in 1992, I sat

:33:03. > :33:10.alongside the first woman MP for Batley and Spen, Elizabeth Peacock.

:33:11. > :33:14.She held her surgeries for 14 years in the personal library. And she

:33:15. > :33:20.exchanged letters with Joe Wenzhou was still at school. And like all of

:33:21. > :33:26.us she has been shot to the call by this tragedy. -- she exchanged

:33:27. > :33:33.letters with Jo. She said it was an attack on democracy and she will

:33:34. > :33:38.mourn the loss of an outstanding friend in politics. Her family will

:33:39. > :33:44.mourn her as irreplaceable. We will mourn a woman of talent and

:33:45. > :33:49.humanity, a rising star and a bright light, whose voice may now be

:33:50. > :33:53.extinguished, but his spirit that a our democracy will not be forgotten.

:33:54. > :34:02.And it will inspire not only her children, but many generations of

:34:03. > :34:06.politicians still to come. Mr Speaker, this will be the hardest

:34:07. > :34:12.speech I will ever give, however it wasn't difficult to write, as there

:34:13. > :34:18.was so much I wanted to say. Jo Cox was the very best of us. She may

:34:19. > :34:22.well have been small, but in politics, as in life, she packed a

:34:23. > :34:26.punch which was beyond measure. She came into this place with such

:34:27. > :34:30.passion and energy. From the very start, she had a clarity about what

:34:31. > :34:34.she was here to achieve, what needed to change, and she wasn't going to

:34:35. > :34:39.waste any time in getting on with it. She knew people were counting on

:34:40. > :34:51.her and couldn't afford to wait. Her experiences of working in

:34:52. > :34:55.some of the most dangerous places in the world and caring for the

:34:56. > :34:57.vulnerable and upholding principles of justice and human rights were

:34:58. > :34:59.reflected in her politics and character. It meant that when she

:35:00. > :35:02.spoke, people listened. There was a weight to what she had to say. She

:35:03. > :35:07.had a vision of a world better than the one that has taken her from us.

:35:08. > :35:13.She would wait to build support for change, which has been reflected in

:35:14. > :35:21.the tributes paid to her. When the 20 15th intake arrived in May of

:35:22. > :35:24.last year, I remember our acting leader telling us that everyday you

:35:25. > :35:31.are an MP is a day you can make a difference. Nobody embodied that

:35:32. > :35:36.more than Jo. -- 2015 intake. She would speak candidly about the

:35:37. > :35:47.challenges of balancing a family with being an MP, but friends. That

:35:48. > :35:50.is not to say she was the easiest person to whip, as she knew that

:35:51. > :35:56.certain late-night votes were not as important as being that she put her

:35:57. > :36:00.children to bed. She managed to reconcile being a hero of our

:36:01. > :36:05.movement with being incredibly down to her. You only have to hear her

:36:06. > :36:09.speak to know her roots are firmly in Batley and Spen. She was a

:36:10. > :36:14.daughter of Yorkshire and she fought tirelessly for those who put her

:36:15. > :36:21.faith in her. I will remember how many different ways. She spoke of

:36:22. > :36:29.her predecessor and her making -- in her maiden speech. Whilst they

:36:30. > :36:33.laughed off at the time, I wouldn't be surprised if they are becoming

:36:34. > :36:38.nervous once they began to realise just how formidable she was. But I

:36:39. > :36:42.will remember her in the voting lobbies in her cycling kit and

:36:43. > :36:46.trainers, leaving us all wondering which did she find the energy. I

:36:47. > :36:52.remember hearing the trials and tribulations of having chickenpox.

:36:53. > :36:59.And I remember regional news following us and capturing the

:37:00. > :37:02.moment that one of the children lost their shoes to the ten that she had

:37:03. > :37:08.to try and retrieve before the start of the day. I will remember her

:37:09. > :37:15.warmth, spirit and laugh. And those who had the pleasure of her company.

:37:16. > :37:20.We will be eternally grateful for those memories and the chance to be

:37:21. > :37:28.together one last time. The member for Redcar remembered her as a

:37:29. > :37:32.comet, burning brightly, lighting up the dark, awe-inspiring and giving

:37:33. > :37:35.off sparks of heat, light and positive energy. I cannot think

:37:36. > :37:39.they're better way of describing her. She was the heart and soul of

:37:40. > :37:44.these benches and we are heartbroken. We loved her everyday

:37:45. > :37:49.and we will miss her every day. She inspired us all and I swear that we

:37:50. > :37:57.will do everything in our power to make her and her incredibly proud.

:37:58. > :38:05.Today, this has really is united in grief. In Jo Cox, we have lost a

:38:06. > :38:09.treasured colleague and friend. On behalf of the SNP and Plaid Cymru

:38:10. > :38:13.and the people we represent I want to pay tribute to a remarkable

:38:14. > :38:19.woman, his passion and determination and dedication characterise the

:38:20. > :38:23.short time she was with us. -- whose passion. I was lucky to know her

:38:24. > :38:28.long before either of us was elected. When we both worked for

:38:29. > :38:34.Oxfam. She was inspired and inspiring colleague. When they first

:38:35. > :38:39.met, she was only in her 20s and was heading up their advocacy office in

:38:40. > :38:46.Brussels. Lobbying to make trade fair for countries. She was a joy to

:38:47. > :38:50.work with. She was talented, smart, focused and driven. It was the way

:38:51. > :38:54.she worked with others that marked her out. She was supportive,

:38:55. > :38:58.inclusive and generous and she radiated positive energy. She was a

:38:59. > :39:02.bright star who helped others to shine. She could have done

:39:03. > :39:06.absolutely anything with her life, but she chose to spend at helping

:39:07. > :39:11.others and making the world a better place. Inevitably, over the last few

:39:12. > :39:18.days, I have been sharing memories with many former colleagues, some of

:39:19. > :39:24.whom worked closely with her -- more closely with her than I did. I want

:39:25. > :39:29.to sum up what they said, which sum up what she was before she came to

:39:30. > :39:33.Parliament. One of them said... She brought energy, fun and an absolute

:39:34. > :39:39.focus on wanted to improve those living in poverty. She was

:39:40. > :39:44.determined to make government and conflicts and protect civilians. She

:39:45. > :39:48.embodied what it meant to be a true humanitarian. Another says... The

:39:49. > :39:52.wonderful thing about her was how much she genuinely cared for those

:39:53. > :39:58.around her and those far away. She was not afraid to wear her heart on

:39:59. > :40:03.his sleeve. Another friend describes her as a massive bundle of brains

:40:04. > :40:07.and energy. A woman the radiated friendly warmth and intellect. And

:40:08. > :40:12.almost everyone I have spoken to have mentioned how connected she was

:40:13. > :40:18.to her roots. One friend observed... She was proud of where she was from,

:40:19. > :40:22.but saw no contradiction of that and caring about people on the other

:40:23. > :40:27.side of the world. We witnessed that here, where she fought with equal

:40:28. > :40:30.resolve for refugee children and the children in her own constituency

:40:31. > :40:35.growing up in poverty. I like to think it was those deep, strong

:40:36. > :40:40.roots in her own Yorkshire community that enabled her to put her arms

:40:41. > :40:46.around the world with so much love. She was

:40:47. > :40:54.I laid white roses for her at a vigil on Saturday but I know that

:40:55. > :40:58.Jo's friend and former colleagues have been holding memorials for her

:40:59. > :41:02.in countries all over the world. The last time I saw Jo was at the

:41:03. > :41:07.MacMillan Cancer Support Parliamentary tug of war event a few

:41:08. > :41:13.weeks ago. The conventional wisdom is that height and weight are

:41:14. > :41:19.distinct invented years in hard -- advantages in tug. Jo had neither of

:41:20. > :41:23.those, her stature possibly the only thing about her that was diminutive.

:41:24. > :41:28.Nevertheless there she was pulling for the women MP team, with every

:41:29. > :41:33.fibre of her being and she dogged determination. That is how I want us

:41:34. > :41:37.to remember her, the strong, brave, determined woman, giving her all the

:41:38. > :41:43.absolute commitment. I want to remember Jo Cox for how she lived,

:41:44. > :41:47.not how she died. And I want her to be a symbol of the politics of hope,

:41:48. > :41:52.not the politics of fear. This parliament is a lot poorer for Jo's

:41:53. > :41:58.passing and we at the SNP and Plaid Cymru extend our sincere condolences

:41:59. > :42:10.to her friends in the Labour Party. Jo constituents have been robbed of

:42:11. > :42:15.the person they chose to represent them. And to her family, we know

:42:16. > :42:18.that your loss is immeasurable, your lives have been changed irrevocably,

:42:19. > :42:22.and we hold all of you in our hearts. But I hope in time and they

:42:23. > :42:35.are older, Jo's children will come to understand how much their purity

:42:36. > :42:39.-- brilliant, beautiful mother was able to give humanity in her short

:42:40. > :42:44.and beautiful life. We will never forget you, rest in peace. In the

:42:45. > :42:50.midst of a tale of another Yorkshire tragedy which led to action and hope

:42:51. > :42:53.in the midst of tragedy, we are told the flowers of Yorkshire are like

:42:54. > :42:57.the women of Yorkshire, every phase has beauty but the last is most

:42:58. > :43:03.glorious, and it was glorious, Jo. I was in awe of Jo. To be honest, I

:43:04. > :43:07.was a bit envious, she was energetic, brave, dynamic, fit,

:43:08. > :43:12.beautiful, passionate, I cannot ever recall seeing her sad, negative or

:43:13. > :43:16.without hope. She once told me in a one-to-one meeting at Oxfam is my

:43:17. > :43:20.manager that she did not do touchy-feely. And I was being too

:43:21. > :43:26.emotional and we need to get on with it. -- needed to get on with it and

:43:27. > :43:32.thought out the campaign we were working on. She believed in building

:43:33. > :43:36.bridges, she was fiercely Labour to the core, but when we thought our

:43:37. > :43:39.party was on the way out of government, she knew there were

:43:40. > :43:46.bigger things at stake. We had to reach out to others, convince them

:43:47. > :43:50.of the case for tackling global poverty, and the women and girls.

:43:51. > :43:53.She was never satisfied with platitudes, she wanted action. We

:43:54. > :43:56.have all been overwhelmed over the last few days of just how many lives

:43:57. > :44:03.she touched, from the refugee camps of da four to the mountains of cat

:44:04. > :44:07.-- Pakistan. But she was not a do-gooder jetting out to hand out

:44:08. > :44:11.arms, she wanted to know why, who was was possible, what we could do

:44:12. > :44:16.about it. She had a remarkable mind and an incredible ability to

:44:17. > :44:23.multitask. I once met had to go and lobby officials in the Foreign

:44:24. > :44:31.office and she turned up late, with her climbing kit in her bag, she

:44:32. > :44:34.read the briefing, knew exactly what was happening in minutes and

:44:35. > :44:36.delivered the crucial information with utter pointed nose and

:44:37. > :44:42.confident and it was utterly brilliant. That universal brilliance

:44:43. > :44:45.is felt by all those she worked with. She was described as a

:44:46. > :44:51.fearless and confessional professional with an impish streak.

:44:52. > :44:55.She had smarts and spirit. Connor, who worked so closely with her, he

:44:56. > :45:02.said, she taught me so closely how to get stuff done with passion and

:45:03. > :45:10.professionalism. Our friend Ben who spent a night with her on a mountain

:45:11. > :45:15.in Pakistan, he said that we are meant to all be kind in NGOs, but

:45:16. > :45:20.we're not, we can be vain, arrogant and mean. But not Jo, she liked

:45:21. > :45:26.everyone and everyone liked her. She was furious at injustice but saw no

:45:27. > :45:31.one as a permanent enemy and everyone as a potential ally. She

:45:32. > :45:35.was a steely campaigner, one of the most kind, caring and committed

:45:36. > :45:41.people we have had the privilege to know, but she could wait herself a

:45:42. > :45:44.right royal pain in the Basque rise -- she could make herself and right

:45:45. > :45:52.royal pain in the backside if you got on the wrong side of her. She

:45:53. > :45:57.worked with Peter Mandelson as a young age, he had to quickly change

:45:58. > :46:03.his approach! But most of all, Phil hit the mark, he said, Jo loved

:46:04. > :46:12.justice and he loved -- and she loved loved. Adrian told me that she

:46:13. > :46:16.saw the bravery and determination as she figured out how to hold state to

:46:17. > :46:22.the fire in her own party as one of our opponent over Syria and the good

:46:23. > :46:30.we needed to do. And Jo Sumter avidly, saying, she never just ask,

:46:31. > :46:35.what do you think, always, or what should we do? This is what we should

:46:36. > :46:43.do, act, love and the Unite, that is the Jo that I knew, kind, caring,

:46:44. > :46:49.passionate, principled, who focused on doing for others and not just

:46:50. > :46:56.being for ourselves. We stand united as colleagues and comrades to mourn

:46:57. > :47:01.somebody who was an enormous figure in this house and would have gone on

:47:02. > :47:05.to be much greater still, but for me and for millions of others, the

:47:06. > :47:10.snatching away of a wife and a mother, hugely loving and hugely

:47:11. > :47:15.loved, is what has moved Britain to stand in collective grief this last

:47:16. > :47:20.few days. Others who knew Jo well have commented on her huge

:47:21. > :47:24.achievements, in her career, before parliament, and the time she served

:47:25. > :47:28.in the last 13 months as an outstanding member of Parliament. My

:47:29. > :47:36.path crossed hers as we took the same side in the campaign for this

:47:37. > :47:41.country to show compassion to desperate refugees, especially

:47:42. > :47:51.children, fleeing Syria and out outside that area. Her legacy is one

:47:52. > :47:56.of building bridges, and not walls. Of getting this Lancastrian to wear

:47:57. > :48:02.this white Yorkshire rose. Of combining passion in what she

:48:03. > :48:07.believed in with kindness in how she expressed it. Can we all agree now

:48:08. > :48:13.that that is how our politics shall begin that it? We are shocked and we

:48:14. > :48:16.are heartbroken -- shall be conducted? We are shocked and

:48:17. > :48:20.heartbroken. On the half of my party, everyone in Cumbria, I want

:48:21. > :48:29.to say that our injuring love and sympathy is with Jo's family. Let me

:48:30. > :48:33.begin by saying again Jo's own words. Who can blame desperate

:48:34. > :48:36.parents for wanting to escape the horror that their families are

:48:37. > :48:39.experiencing? Children are being killed on their way to school, one

:48:40. > :48:44.in three children have grown up knowing nothing but fear and war.

:48:45. > :48:47.Those children have been exposed to things no child should ever witness

:48:48. > :48:55.and I know that I would risk life and limb to get my two precious

:48:56. > :49:02.babies... Out that hellhole. When Jo spoke, Mr Speaker, we all listened.

:49:03. > :49:06.Why? Because the principles she drew on in that speech and in life is the

:49:07. > :49:13.simple idea that we have none more in common than that which divides

:49:14. > :49:16.us. -- that we have more in common than that which divides us. Her

:49:17. > :49:19.words demonstrate that if we choose, we do not always have to see

:49:20. > :49:25.ourselves as different from those who are far away, we can choose to

:49:26. > :49:30.see what unites us. We all listened because her words spoke to each and

:49:31. > :49:35.everyone of us. Now, to know Jo, even a little bit, was to understand

:49:36. > :49:41.how proud she was of her family. And to hear her relish her role as a

:49:42. > :49:45.mum. Many of her friends have spoken of her joy, warmth, natural charm.

:49:46. > :49:50.She had a way of talking, not just about herself, her own ideas, but

:49:51. > :49:55.always what we could do together. Jo took on the toughest of problems,

:49:56. > :50:00.the most forgotten causes, and fought campaigns that we could all

:50:01. > :50:13.feel a part of. That's truly would make change happen. Whether da four

:50:14. > :50:18.or the DIC -- offer, or the PRC, she knew how things could fade without

:50:19. > :50:23.activism. As she wrote, this is not inevitable, it is still contested

:50:24. > :50:27.across the political spectrum. So Jo wrote about a fight, not just for

:50:28. > :50:33.one country, one people or one cause, but a worldview that bestowed

:50:34. > :50:41.on each of us rights and on all of this to protect. This is especially

:50:42. > :50:47.true in her activism on women's rights. Faced with the great joy and

:50:48. > :50:50.risk of motherhood, women are uniquely and equally vulnerable. So

:50:51. > :50:54.when the world could not find the wherewithal to meet the millennium

:50:55. > :50:58.development goal to cut maternal mortality, Jo took on this huge

:50:59. > :51:06.challenge and made global leaders sit up and listen to women. Jo did

:51:07. > :51:11.not just believe that women's voices should be had, she made it so. She

:51:12. > :51:18.was a feminist is activism saved women's life and his political skill

:51:19. > :51:24.good women elected to this house. -- and her political skill got women

:51:25. > :51:27.elected to this house. She gave women the knowledge and networks to

:51:28. > :51:32.take control and wind power. She did it not by hectoring or lecturing,

:51:33. > :51:39.but by believing in the goodness of others, and as Jo friend and mine

:51:40. > :51:44.has written, half holding you upright, half shoving you forward.

:51:45. > :51:48.That is what it meant to her arm around your shoulder and how we all

:51:49. > :51:52.long for those arms around our shoulder today for one or hug. And

:51:53. > :52:02.definitely for one more smile. But it cannot be. Mr Speaker, those

:52:03. > :52:06.words from Jo's maiden speech must therefore ring out today. We are far

:52:07. > :52:10.more united and have far more in common with each other than the

:52:11. > :52:15.things that divide us. Cheap populism cannot take hold. Jo's

:52:16. > :52:19.vision of her country explained in that speech she made is one we know

:52:20. > :52:25.in our hearts to be true. It is not where you come from that matters, it

:52:26. > :52:28.is where you -- it is the compassion in your heart. You might be

:52:29. > :52:32.ferociously proud of your hometown but you know compassion does not end

:52:33. > :52:40.at its boundaries. And here is another thing that does not end. Jo

:52:41. > :52:43.Cox's live had real man meaning. We may feel lost today but inside us

:52:44. > :52:53.all, the love from her is still there. I speak today by agreement

:52:54. > :52:59.for all the Northern Ireland parties, and members represented in

:53:00. > :53:04.this house, the DUP, the SDLP over the Ulster Unionists and the

:53:05. > :53:10.honourable member for North Down. We sit together and we speak with one

:53:11. > :53:13.voice this afternoon to echo the common United response of all of the

:53:14. > :53:19.people we represent at home in Northern Ireland. Whatever is said

:53:20. > :53:24.cannot adequately express out deepest, most heartfelt feelings,

:53:25. > :53:32.but through the words that have been spoken already and will be spoken, I

:53:33. > :53:37.pray that Jo 's family may find some comfort and solace. We all want to

:53:38. > :53:41.extend our deepest sympathies to Brendan, her children and the wider

:53:42. > :53:45.family circle at the tragic loss of someone so loved, so admired and who

:53:46. > :53:54.will be so missed. But we want also to extend our sympathies to the

:53:55. > :53:57.Labour Party and the wider Labour movement, the people of Batley and

:53:58. > :54:00.Spen and the many friends of Jo who have spoken about her recently in

:54:01. > :54:05.such moving ways. It is right that we should meet together in this

:54:06. > :54:08.Parliament today to record not just our disgust and outrage at what has

:54:09. > :54:13.happened to an honoured colleague, but also to express our

:54:14. > :54:16.determination to uphold the values of democracy and the open and

:54:17. > :54:21.accessible way in which we conduct our political life in this country.

:54:22. > :54:26.A lifelike Jo Cox's should not be defined by its end. It was her life

:54:27. > :54:30.that counts, and that is what we remember today and should always

:54:31. > :54:38.remember. We're Northern Ireland on all sides and in all parties have

:54:39. > :54:41.experienced Eric Lee and personally attempted murder -- directly and

:54:42. > :54:47.personally attempted murder attack 's, and you have lost friends and

:54:48. > :54:51.colleagues to men of violence. We have felt the pain and anguish but

:54:52. > :54:58.those close to Jo are going through now. Our hearts go out to you, our

:54:59. > :55:02.thoughts are with you, and our prayers are that God will comfort

:55:03. > :55:07.you and in due course, in the words of holy Scripture, give unto you

:55:08. > :55:12.beauty for Ashes, the oil of choice in mourning, and the of praise, the

:55:13. > :55:23.spread of heaviness. -- the garment of phrase.

:55:24. > :55:32.A woman who faced with life, compassion, and commitment to social

:55:33. > :55:36.justice. Woman who cherished family, served her community and whose sole

:55:37. > :55:42.aim was to leave the world a better place when she found. And she did,

:55:43. > :55:47.didn't she? A cross-party group on Syria and the government agreeing to

:55:48. > :55:56.take 3000 unaccompanied Syrian child refugees. In 13 short months, she

:55:57. > :56:02.achieved more than some MPs in 13 years. She had an open mind and an

:56:03. > :56:07.open heart. And the world really needed somebody like her. Somebody

:56:08. > :56:12.who never gave up, somebody who knew that by the strength of our common

:56:13. > :56:21.endeavour, we achieved more than we can alone. We sent our deep

:56:22. > :56:25.condolences to her family. We thank you for sharing her with us. It was

:56:26. > :56:31.a blessing to know her. Rest in peace, sweet friend. I first met her

:56:32. > :56:39.through my daughter when she was first working in Brussels. She said

:56:40. > :56:44.I wasn't worried about leaving because I have found this brilliant

:56:45. > :56:47.replacement called Jo Cox. There was some friendly rivalry, as my

:56:48. > :56:53.daughter went on to work for David Miliband and Jo Cox for Gordon and

:56:54. > :57:02.Sarah Brown. But was all in good heart. LAUGHTER. But the fact of the

:57:03. > :57:07.matter... Later, only one year ago, is a long-standing member of

:57:08. > :57:10.Parliament, suddenly I had to brilliant new members of Parliament

:57:11. > :57:15.just down the road from me. In Dewsbury on Batley and Spen. And

:57:16. > :57:21.what I happy. And what a change they have made to this chamber. Joe was

:57:22. > :57:27.wonderful. Someone said to me the other day, don't be mistaken about

:57:28. > :57:32.Jo. She is tough as old boots when she is campaigning for anything. I

:57:33. > :57:38.upset her a couple of times. But she always got her own way. LAUGHTER.

:57:39. > :57:44.But can I just say this. If you have a daughter like Jo, you must have a

:57:45. > :57:49.good family behind you. My 10th granddaughter was born in owning a

:57:50. > :57:53.few days ago. To have a girl like Jo, you need a wonderful and

:57:54. > :57:57.supportive family. We have a duty in this house to watch over that family

:57:58. > :58:02.in the days and months and years to come, because we have a duty to

:58:03. > :58:13.support that family and those children. -- only a few days ago. I

:58:14. > :58:17.didn't know how well at all, but the more I have learned about her life

:58:18. > :58:25.and work makes me wish so much that I had done. But I wanted to convey

:58:26. > :58:28.my party's very sincere condolences and our deep sadness and on behalf

:58:29. > :58:35.of the many constituents who have been in touch with me, to send those

:58:36. > :58:40.condolences to her husband, Brendan, her children, her other family and

:58:41. > :58:45.friends. She knew what really mattered, she cut through to what

:58:46. > :58:54.was important. Her commitment to cross-party working, speaking out

:58:55. > :58:59.and justice was a shining light. When looking at what she achieved,

:59:00. > :59:04.there is an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the causes she

:59:05. > :59:09.advocated. And pledge not to let them be forgotten. It seems that all

:59:10. > :59:16.who worked all-new herb considered her as a friend. I wanted to mention

:59:17. > :59:22.the staff in her constituency office. -- all who knew her. She was

:59:23. > :59:28.a formidable woman, juggling the demands of serving constituents with

:59:29. > :59:34.those being mother. She was and will be very much missed and always be

:59:35. > :59:42.remembered and we pledge in her memory to continue to do what we can

:59:43. > :59:47.to put hope before hatred. This is a speech I could not even have

:59:48. > :59:52.imagined giving just a few days ago. How bitterly ironic it feels to be

:59:53. > :59:57.here in one of the greatest debating chambers and no words can do justice

:59:58. > :00:03.to our sense of loss or the grief we feel for her family. My wife and I

:00:04. > :00:08.have known the family for many years. They are a couple like each

:00:09. > :00:11.other, driven, passionate, and in patient to change the world. I

:00:12. > :00:16.remember having dinner with them on their boat and encouraging her to

:00:17. > :00:21.stand for her constituency. I thought she would be a brilliant

:00:22. > :00:25.candidate and a huge asset to Parliament. Her whole life had been

:00:26. > :00:29.spent serving others. I told her she could continue to do that in

:00:30. > :00:34.Parliament. Her willingness to enter public service has now cost her her

:00:35. > :00:40.life. Over the weekend, many people have praised her maiden speech,

:00:41. > :00:47.campaigning on Syria as the way she will remember -- be remembered. That

:00:48. > :00:58.is the memory of her as a mother that will be in my mind. Some older

:00:59. > :01:01.comrades are still not at ease with breast-feeding, it was something my

:01:02. > :01:12.wife was doing and not feeling at ease. Jo sat down and began feeding

:01:13. > :01:19.her own son to establish solidarity. It was how she saw others in her

:01:20. > :01:25.everyday life. They went on to work together. And she raised her young

:01:26. > :01:29.family with so much love. She would fight for other working-class women

:01:30. > :01:32.to have the same opportunities as her, to end everyday sexism and to

:01:33. > :01:37.make politics a safe space for women. Her life is now forever a

:01:38. > :01:43.testament to just how important those causes are. She was right to

:01:44. > :01:47.believe in public service. She was right to believe in making the world

:01:48. > :01:52.a better place. And she was right to believe in this place. In the

:01:53. > :01:56.overwhelming grief of this story, there are shards of hope that

:01:57. > :02:00.exemplify what this country is really about. The two unarmed police

:02:01. > :02:05.officers that wrestled her assailants to the ground, Bernard

:02:06. > :02:08.Kenny who dashed from his car to try to save her, her assistant who was

:02:09. > :02:16.with her when it happened. These are the true faces of Britain that we

:02:17. > :02:22.love. And most of all there is Jo herself. When I had my own daughter

:02:23. > :02:25.with me, she turned to me and asked... Daddy, can little girls

:02:26. > :02:31.become the Prime Minister? Now when our daughters ask us that question,

:02:32. > :02:36.let us tell them and inspire them with Jo's story. The

:02:37. > :02:42.parliamentarian, the campaign, the mother and Jo, our friend.

:02:43. > :02:51.Colleagues, thank you to everyone who has spoken in tribute to Jo. And

:02:52. > :02:54.in support of her family. There was a tributes motion and I have to put

:02:55. > :03:03.the question, but I hope that when I do so it will attract the loudest

:03:04. > :03:07.unified response in the history of this house. The question is that

:03:08. > :03:20.this house has considered the matter of tributes to Jo Cox. As many of

:03:21. > :03:26.that opinion see aye. Aye! The ayes have it. The ayes have it. We will

:03:27. > :03:30.adjourn formally in a moment or two. Before we do so, they I please

:03:31. > :03:37.invite all right honourable and honourable members to follow me in

:03:38. > :03:45.processing behind the Sergeant at Arms, via Central lobby and St

:03:46. > :03:48.Stephen's entrance to Saint Margaret's chat across the road for

:03:49. > :03:54.a service of prayer and remembrance for the life of Jo Cox. And in

:03:55. > :04:01.saying what I have just said, perhaps I can just take this

:04:02. > :04:09.opportunity to re-emphasise that our chaplain, rose Hudson Wilkin, who

:04:10. > :04:17.will be at the service will also be available in days to come to support

:04:18. > :04:27.members, the staff of members and the staff of this house. Sittings of

:04:28. > :04:35.the house motion moved formally. Thank you. As many of that opinion

:04:36. > :04:52.see... The ayes have it. The adjournment, the question is that

:04:53. > :04:57.this house now adjourn. See aye. Aye. The ayes habit. APPLAUSE.