20/06/2016 House of Commons

Order. Colleagues, we meet today in heartbreaking sadness, but also in

heartfelt solidarity. Any death in such awful circumstances is an

outrage and a tragedy. Yet this death in this manner of this person,

our democratically elected colleague Jo Cox, is particularly shocking and

repugnant. All of us who came to know her during her all too short

service in this house became swiftly aware of her outstanding qualities.

She was caring, eloquent, principled and wise. Above all, she was filled

with and fuelled by love for humanity. Devoted to her family and

a relentless campaigner for equality, human rights and social

justice. She was proud to be a member of Parliament for Batley and

Spen. That was where she had her roots and she was determined to live

life to the full. She succeeded superbly. She was murdered in the

course of her duty. Serving constituents in need. She fought for

them, just as she fought for others, at home and abroad. People who are

victims of poverty, discrimination or injustice. An attack like this

strike not only at an individual, but at our freedom. That is why we

assemble here, both to honour Jo and to redouble our dedication to

democracy. I call the leader of the position, Jeremy Corbyn,. Thank you,

Mr Speaker. Last Thursday, Jo Cox was doing what all of us here do.

Representing observing the people who elected her. We have lost one of

our own and our society as a whole has lost one of our very best. She

had spent her life serving and campaigning for other people.

Whether as a worker for Oxfam or for the anti-slavery charity the freedom

front as a political activist and as a feminist. The horrific act that

occur from us was an attack on democracy, now whole country. They

have been shocked and saddened by it. In the days since, the country

has also learned something of the extraordinary humanity and

compassion which drove her political activism and beliefs. Jo Cox didn't

just believe in loving your neighbour. She believed in loving

her neighbours neighbour. She saw a world of neighbours. She believed

every life counted. And counted equally. In a very moving tribute,

Kate Allen, the director of Amnesty International said... Her

campaigning on refugees, Syria and the rights of women and girls made

her stand out as an MP, who always put the lives of the most vulnerable

at the heart of her work. Her former colleague at the Freedom fund

said... She was a powerful champion for the world's most vulnerable and

marginalised. She spoke out in support of refugees, for the

Palestinian people and against Islamophobia in this country. Her

integrity and talent was known by everyone in this house. By the

community of Batley and Spen, which is proudly represented here for the

past year. But it was that community that brought her up. As well as her

wonderful family, to whom we share their grief today. Her community and

the whole country has been united in grief. And United in rejecting the

world of hatred that killed her. In what increasingly appears to have

been an act of extreme political violence. We are filled with sorrow

for her husband, Brendan, and young children. They will never see her

again, but they can be so proud of everything she was, all she achieved

and all she stood for, as we are. As are her parents, as is her sister

and her whole wider family. She would have been 42 this Wednesday.

She had much more to give. And much more that she would have achieved. I

want to thank the heroes who tried to intervene Bernard Kenny, the

77-year-old former miner saw the need and ran to her aid. He was

stabbed and taken to hospital. I'm sure the whole house will join me in

wishing him a speedy and full recovery. Many shopkeepers and

bystanders also try to help. They administered first aid to both Jo

and Bernard. The police officers who made the arrest and the national

health service paramedics who were on so quickly. In her maiden speech

last year, she said this... "Our communities have been deeply

enhanced by immigration. While we celebrate our diversity, what is

surprising time and time again, as I travel around the constituency is

that we are far more can I did and have far more in common with other

things that divide us. Far more united." We need a kinder and

gentler politics. This is not a factional party political point. We

all a responsibility not to whip up hatred or division. Thank you and Mr

Speaker. And thank you to the Prime Minister and to Rose Hudson Wilkins,

our wonderful chaplain for accompanying me to the vigil for her

last Friday Birstall. At the statue in the centre of that lovely town.

We, all of us, were moved by the unity and warmth of the crowd

brought together in grief and solidarity. I had been very moved by

the public outpourings since her death. The hundreds of letters and

e-mails we have all received in solidarity with her family in their

hour of grief. And by the outpouring of charitable donations to causes

close to her heart. -- Rose Hudson-Wilkin. Last night, my

honourable friend and myself held a vigil outside our town hall. One of

hundreds of vigils attended by tens of thousands of people right across

our land who are so shocked by what has happened and want to express

that shocked and grief. I also want to thank the other parties in this

house who have offered their sympathy and support at this very

difficult time. We are united in grief at her loss. And we must be

aware that her killing is an attack on our democracy. It is an attack on

our whole society. As my friend wrote recently... "Her life was a

demonstration against despair. And in her tragic death we can come

together to change our politics, to tolerate a little more and condemn a

little less. " Her husband said... " Jo believed in a better world. And

she fought for it every day of her life, with an energy and a zest for

life that would exhaust most people. Today, we remember her compassion

and a passion to create a better world and in her honour, Mr Speaker,

we recommit ourselves to that task. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. We are here the data remember an extraordinary

colleague and friend. Jo Cox was a voice of compassion, whose boundless

energy lit up the lives of all who knew her and saved the lives of many

she never ever met. Today we grieve her loss and we hold in our hearts

and prayers her husband Brendan, her parents and sister, and her two

children, who are just three and five years old. We express our anger

at the sickening and despicable attack that killed her, as she did

her job serving her constituents on the street of Birstall. And let me

join the Leader of the Opposition in his moving words in praising Bernard

Kenny and all those who tried to save her. Above all in this house,

we pay tribute to a loving, determined, passionate and

progressive politician, who epitomised the best of humanity and

who proved it so often the power of politics to make our world a better

place. I first met Jo in 2006 in Darfur. She was doing what she was a

brilliant at, bravely working in one of the most dangerous part of the

world, fighting for the lives of refugees. Her decision to welcome

me, then Leader of the Opposition, had not been entirely welcome of her

colleagues and friends, but it was typical of her determination to

reach cross party lines on issues that she thought was a much more

important than party politics. Jo was a humanitarian to her call,

passionate and body and campaigner, whose grit and determination to

fight for justice saw hope time and time again driving issues up the

agenda and making people listen and act. Drawing attention to conflict

in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping expose the

despicable practice of rape in war, her work with Sarah Brown in cutting

mortality in childbirth, her support refugees fleeing the war in Syria.

Quite simply there are people on the planet today who are only here and

life because of that one. She was a committed Democrat and a passionate

feminist. She spent years encouraging and supporting women

around the world to stand for office long before she did so herself. When

she herself was elected as an MP over a year ago, she said one of her

colleagues that she did not just want to be known for flying around

the world tackling international in shoes, but she had a profound duty

to stand up for the people of Batley and Spen and she was as good as her

word. As she said in her maiden speech, Jo was proud to be made in

Yorkshire and to serve the area in which he

Yorkshire and to serve the area in which she had grown up. She belonged

there, in in a truly multiethnic and multi-faith community, she made

others belong to. The outpouring of unity in the tribute we have seen

shows the extraordinary reach and impact of her message. In

remembering Jo, we show what she said in this has to be true, I know

it will be quoted many times today, we are far more united and far more

in common with each other than things that deny us. This Wednesday,

it would have been Jo's 42nd birthday, and there will be a global

celebration of her life and values, with simultaneous events across the

world. She should have been celebrating her birthday by hosting

her traditional summer solstice party. And it reminds us that behind

the formidable professional, was a loving and fun mother, daughter,

sister, wife and friend. With the warm, welcoming smile and so often,

laughter in her voice. Jo brought people together, she saw the best in

people, and she brought out the best in them. A brave adventurer and a

keen climber, she was never daunted. When most people hear of a place

called the inaccessible pinnacle, they leave it well alone. Not Jo.

She did not just climb it, she abseiled down it and did so despite

a bad case of morning sickness. It was her irrepressible spirit that

help to give her such determination of focus in her politics. The

Conservative colleague of mine said this weekend, if you lost your way

for a moment in the cut and thrust of political life, meeting Jo would

remind you why you went into politics in the first place. There

have been so many moving tribute in the past few days, but if I may, I

would like to quote from someone already mentioned, the Honourable

member for rural South. Jo, we mourn your loss let know that all that you

stood for is unbreakable. We promise to stand up even though we are

broken. We promise that we will never be cowed by hate. Mr Speaker,

may we and the generations of members that follow us in this house

on a Jo's memory by proving that the democracy and freedom is Jo stood

far are it indeed unbreakable, by continuing to stand up for our

constituents and bite uniting against the hatred that killed her,

today and forever more. -- and by uniting against the hatred that

killed her. Rachel Reeves.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I stand today to honour a friend and a colleague.

Along with shock, anger and grief, I have very memory fond memories of

Jo. We knew each other for around ten years, I knew her husband

Brendan for longer than that. We first met at a Labour students

conference 18 years ago and it was through Brendan that I first met Jo.

I render them coming round for dinner at the House of my husband

and I in London and asked visiting them on their boat, first in

Ladbroke Grove and then in Wapping. I remember worrying that I had drunk

too much wine early in the evening until I realised that it was the

boat that was lying. And not me. -- the boat was swaying, and not me! I

remember talking with Joe about her future after I became an MP. She was

thinking about standing for Parliament and spent a day shadowing

me, talking about constituent's problems, attending meetings. By the

end of the day, a lot of people were not sure who the MP was and he was

doing the shadowing. Jo had away with people, a way of relating to

people from all walks fly. Our main hesitation about a Parliamentary

career was her young family. She worried as many of us do about

whether you can be a great MP and a great mum at the same time. But when

the opportunities came up to represent her home seed of Batley

and Spen, Jo felt a special responsibly keep to step up and do

what she could about the place that she was born, grew up and went to

school, the place she called home. Jo wanted to make the world more

equal, fairer and more tolerant. We all have better instincts and

deepest fears. We all. Jo appeal to our greater instincts, -- our better

instincts. On Friday morning, less than 24 hours after Jo was killed, I

sat in a copy shop in Jo a few minutes away from where she had been

murdered. A woman came over and said she had not know Jo, but that her

death had made her want to be a bit more like her. A better person, a

better mother, a better daughter, a better wife. It is ironic that after

travelling the world to some of the most damaged and war-ravaged faces

in the world, she died so near to her home. But she died doing the

jobs that she loved, in the place that she loved, representing the

people that she loved. Her mum and dad said to me that Jo would not

have changed a thing. She lived the life that she would have wanted to

live. But in her mum's words, she had so much more than she could have

done. Jo was struck down much too soon. So it now falls on all of our

shoulders, the women I met at the cafe, Jo's MPs and friends and all

others to carry on her work, to serve others with dignity and love,

and that is the best way that we can remember Jo and she stood for. But

last, let me say this. Batley and Spen will go on to elect a new MP,

but no one can replace a mother. Mr Andrew Mitchell.

Mr Speaker, today we mourn the terrible loss of our friend and

colleague Jo, so tragically murdered as she went about her constituency

duties last Thursday. Life has been taken of a truly exceptional woman,

whose goodness and passionate dedication to humanitarian values

has inspired us all. I knew her as a friend, but how unbearable must it

be for those who mourn her other daughter, sister, husband, and above

all, as the beloved mum, who they used to visit city each week in

portcullis house. -- visit 4p. I first met her when we marched

against injustice in Darfur war, and on to visit there, where she hoped

developed a central humanitarian role for Oxfam. The Leader of the

Opposition as he then was, and I, stayed there with her and other

humanitarian workers, and witnessed her crucial role for Oxfam in

supporting women and children and securing water for thousands of

refugees in refugee camps. She gave me the green wristband I'll wear

still, to ensure that we remember the desperate people caught up in

what President Bush rightly described as a genocide. It is

amongst her many friends and colleagues in the international

humanitarian and development family, all around the world, of which she

was such a respected and experienced member, that she will be mourned and

remembered as a staunch friend of the most desperate and the fried in

our world, and as a campaigner against -- desperate and deprived in

our world, and a campaigner against injustice. When she entered this

house 13 short months ago, she rapidly used her knowledge to

champion the dispossessed. She was happy Mac labour to her picking

tips, but recklessly dismissive of party political manoeuvring which

she saw as a barrier to progress. Making common cause with a crusty

old story, she and I became co-chair of the -- crusty old Tory, she now

became co-chair of the friends for Syria. We invited ourselves to the

Russian ambassador's residents. With cleverness -- with clever charm but

steely determination, this five foot bundle of old French and Yorkshire

common sense dressing down for his country's -- of Yorkshire common

sense dressed him down for his country's cynicism. And cruelty. I

believe he will not forget that the visit. I think there are many things

Jo would like us to remember this afternoon. May I mentioned just two?

I do not believe she would want this vile and unspeakable act to change

the open and access above relationship we enjoy our

constituents. -- accessible relationship. All of us take the

advice of our local police in protecting those who work and

support us. Thankfully, the record shows these attacks are as

infrequent as they are disgraceful. Secondly, Jo would want us in this

house to redouble our efforts to resolve the greatest catastrophe of

our age, the crisis in Syria, where the lives of more than 11 million

people have been ruined while the international community has shown

itself disorganised, ineffective and supine. But Mr Speaker, I mourn Jo

today as a friend and as a colleague. But most of all, I mourn

for her as a mother, whose two gorgeous children will now have to

chart the shoals and eddies of life without the love and support of

their wonderful, lovely mum. Harriet Harman. Thank you, Mr Speaker, I

want to add to the very moving tributes to Jo. I got to know her

after the 2010 election when she was elected to chair labour women's

network which she did for four years and she would regularly burst into

my office is that extraordinary energy she had, and tell me all that

they were doing to help Labour women get elected apartment, give women a

bigger voice in the party, and so many of the women who are here today

who were elected in 2015, and who are so deeply morning Jo's loss,

were women that under Jo's leadership, the Labour women network

supported. Not long after she had her son, she came to give me one of

those regular briefings and the baby came as well and I remember it

because she literally did not stop kissing him all the way through the

meeting. And when she had her daughter, she was still there for

the women who were trying to become candidates, texting and support,

phoning to commiserate if they did not make it, urging them to try

again. Her feminism, her solidarity with other women, was a thread that

ran through her and all her work in her community and for humanitarian

causes. She always said to me, in fact a key, that her children were

her priority above everything. -- emphatically. There was no dividing

line between her maternal heart and her great political heart. Her

children will grow up to know what an amazing woman her mother was. She

is such a great loss to our politics, and irreplaceable loss to

our family -- her family, to whom we sent our heartfelt entity.

What an amazing woman. She was one of us. She was clearly a remarkable

person. These are not my comments, although I clearly concur with them.

These were just some of the many comments I heard from constituents

and from those I met over the weekend in Batley and Spen.

Conscious of time and wanted to ensure her friends have the

opportunity to speak, I make this short but heartfelt contribution of

the half of my fellow Yorkshire Conservative MPs. I first met Jo

just over one year ago. It was not long after the General Election and

we were both appearing on a show. On arriving at the studio, I was taken

to be make up room, where she was already sitting in the chair.

Needless to say, I had to spend a lot longer in that chair than she

did. But as I walked in, she looked at me in the reflection of the

mirror and greeted me with that wonderful smile that lit her whole

face. In that instant, that split second, I knew this was someone I

was going to like enormously. And I was not wrong. As we recorded the

programme, it was clear that we agreed with each other on a number

of issues. And I am sure that the lack of political argument came as a

huge disappointment to producers. But it is a testament to who she

was. That she got her point across effectively and calmly, without the

need for talking over people. Because when she spoke, people

listened. She was always passionate about the issue she cared about,

never afraid to stand up for those she felt had no voice, but she was

also a proud Yorkshire woman. And our county are rightly proud of her.

As I spent time in Birstall and Batley over this weekend, it was

clear that her constituents loved her. Almost everyone I have spoken

to have met her, quite an achievement in just one year. And as

the tributes increased, you could sense the outpouring of love for Jo.

On Friday, 2000 people from all faiths and none packed into the

centre in Batley and tribute after tribute spoke of the qualities of

one of the most outstanding members of this house. Many described her as

a rising star. Personally, I think she was a star. And the statements

from her husband, sister and family have been powerful, inclusive and

passionate. They demonstrate the background from which many of her

values came. In her maiden speech, she talks about how we are farming

in united and have far more in common than things that divide us.

-- far more united. She promoted those values in everything she did.

To unite communities and campaign for things to unify people. She

cared so passionately about that. I have been amazed at the kindness and

love expressed in social media, e-mails, letters, cards and

conversations. The thank your MP hashtag has encouraged so much

gratification. In her tragic death, she is achieving what she

successfully did so much in her life. I know I am not alone in

saying I will miss her. I will miss her compassion, her determination,

her conviction. But above all other with her smile, whether it be as we

passed each other in the corridor or from across the chamber. She was a

proud Yorkshire lass, a brilliant Yorkshire Rose. And my only regret

about her is that I only knew her for one year. Stephen Kinnock. Thank

you. We have been friends for over 20 years and a wonderful 12-month

sharing an office in our election last May. She used use my cupboard

as a wardrobe and I will never forget her dashing around in her

cycling gear, grabbing her clothes and shouting something over her

shoulder about her latest campaign. She often brought her children into

the office with her. If I was lucky, I would get a dinosaur drawing for a

chance to read them a story. They are wonderful kids, who are truly

bathed in love. The murder of Jo Cox was a national tragedy. But we must

also remember the unspeakable personal suffering that it has

caused. Her family have lost a loving mother, wife, daughter and

sister. The fearless lest Jo Cox never stopped fighting for what is

right. She gave a voice to the voiceless, she spoke truth to power.

She exemplified the best values of our party and our country,

compassion, community, solidarity and internationalism. She put her

convictions to work for everyone she touched. For the people of Batley

and Spen, for the wretched Assyria, for the victims of violence and

injustice everywhere. On Thursday, she was assassinated because of what

she was, because of what she stood for. -- people of Syria. Out of the

darkness must now come the shining light of her legacy. So let us build

a politics not have hope -- of hope, not there. Respect not hate. Unity,

not division. I can only imagine her reaction, had she seen the poster

unveiled hours before her death. A post on the streets of Britain that

demonised hundreds of refugees, including terrified children fleeing

from Russian bombs and Isis. She would have responded with outrage,

they robust rejection of the calculated narrative of cynicism.

Because she understood that rhetoric has consequences. When insecurity,

fear and anger are used to like a fuse, then an explosion is

inevitable. In a deeply moving tribute, her husband urged the

people to unite and fight against the hatred that killed her. It is a

politics of division and there. The harking back to inventory slogans

and the rhetoric of Britain first that twists patriotism from love of

country to a ugly loathing of others. We must stand up for

something better because of someone better. We must not let this

atrocity intimidate our democracy. We must now work to build a more

respectful and United country. Because this is our time to honour

the legacy of the proud Yorkshire lass who dedicated her life to the

common good and he was so cruelly taken away from us in the prime of

her life. Jo Cox, we love you, we salute you. And we shall never

forget you. Jo Cox was a politician that spanned continents and

political parties. Amongst other causes, she campaigned alongside

many of us on behalf of people with autism and with her death we have

lost a powerful advocate. When I came into this house in 1992, I sat

alongside the first woman MP for Batley and Spen, Elizabeth Peacock.

She held her surgeries for 14 years in the personal library. And she

exchanged letters with Joe Wenzhou was still at school. And like all of

us she has been shot to the call by this tragedy. -- she exchanged

letters with Jo. She said it was an attack on democracy and she will

mourn the loss of an outstanding friend in politics. Her family will

mourn her as irreplaceable. We will mourn a woman of talent and

humanity, a rising star and a bright light, whose voice may now be

extinguished, but his spirit that a our democracy will not be forgotten.

And it will inspire not only her children, but many generations of

politicians still to come. Mr Speaker, this will be the hardest

speech I will ever give, however it wasn't difficult to write, as there

was so much I wanted to say. Jo Cox was the very best of us. She may

well have been small, but in politics, as in life, she packed a

punch which was beyond measure. She came into this place with such

passion and energy. From the very start, she had a clarity about what

she was here to achieve, what needed to change, and she wasn't going to

waste any time in getting on with it. She knew people were counting on

her and couldn't afford to wait. Her experiences of working in

some of the most dangerous places in the world and caring for the

vulnerable and upholding principles of justice and human rights were

reflected in her politics and character. It meant that when she

spoke, people listened. There was a weight to what she had to say. She

had a vision of a world better than the one that has taken her from us.

She would wait to build support for change, which has been reflected in

the tributes paid to her. When the 20 15th intake arrived in May of

last year, I remember our acting leader telling us that everyday you

are an MP is a day you can make a difference. Nobody embodied that

more than Jo. -- 2015 intake. She would speak candidly about the

challenges of balancing a family with being an MP, but friends. That

is not to say she was the easiest person to whip, as she knew that

certain late-night votes were not as important as being that she put her

children to bed. She managed to reconcile being a hero of our

movement with being incredibly down to her. You only have to hear her

speak to know her roots are firmly in Batley and Spen. She was a

daughter of Yorkshire and she fought tirelessly for those who put her

faith in her. I will remember how many different ways. She spoke of

her predecessor and her making -- in her maiden speech. Whilst they

laughed off at the time, I wouldn't be surprised if they are becoming

nervous once they began to realise just how formidable she was. But I

will remember her in the voting lobbies in her cycling kit and

trainers, leaving us all wondering which did she find the energy. I

remember hearing the trials and tribulations of having chickenpox.

And I remember regional news following us and capturing the

moment that one of the children lost their shoes to the ten that she had

to try and retrieve before the start of the day. I will remember her

warmth, spirit and laugh. And those who had the pleasure of her company.

We will be eternally grateful for those memories and the chance to be

together one last time. The member for Redcar remembered her as a

comet, burning brightly, lighting up the dark, awe-inspiring and giving

off sparks of heat, light and positive energy. I cannot think

they're better way of describing her. She was the heart and soul of

these benches and we are heartbroken. We loved her everyday

and we will miss her every day. She inspired us all and I swear that we

will do everything in our power to make her and her incredibly proud.

Today, this has really is united in grief. In Jo Cox, we have lost a

treasured colleague and friend. On behalf of the SNP and Plaid Cymru

and the people we represent I want to pay tribute to a remarkable

woman, his passion and determination and dedication characterise the

short time she was with us. -- whose passion. I was lucky to know her

long before either of us was elected. When we both worked for

Oxfam. She was inspired and inspiring colleague. When they first

met, she was only in her 20s and was heading up their advocacy office in

Brussels. Lobbying to make trade fair for countries. She was a joy to

work with. She was talented, smart, focused and driven. It was the way

she worked with others that marked her out. She was supportive,

inclusive and generous and she radiated positive energy. She was a

bright star who helped others to shine. She could have done

absolutely anything with her life, but she chose to spend at helping

others and making the world a better place. Inevitably, over the last few

days, I have been sharing memories with many former colleagues, some of

whom worked closely with her -- more closely with her than I did. I want

to sum up what they said, which sum up what she was before she came to

Parliament. One of them said... She brought energy, fun and an absolute

focus on wanted to improve those living in poverty. She was

determined to make government and conflicts and protect civilians. She

embodied what it meant to be a true humanitarian. Another says... The

wonderful thing about her was how much she genuinely cared for those

around her and those far away. She was not afraid to wear her heart on

his sleeve. Another friend describes her as a massive bundle of brains

and energy. A woman the radiated friendly warmth and intellect. And

almost everyone I have spoken to have mentioned how connected she was

to her roots. One friend observed... She was proud of where she was from,

but saw no contradiction of that and caring about people on the other

side of the world. We witnessed that here, where she fought with equal

resolve for refugee children and the children in her own constituency

growing up in poverty. I like to think it was those deep, strong

roots in her own Yorkshire community that enabled her to put her arms

around the world with so much love. She was

I laid white roses for her at a vigil on Saturday but I know that

Jo's friend and former colleagues have been holding memorials for her

in countries all over the world. The last time I saw Jo was at the

MacMillan Cancer Support Parliamentary tug of war event a few

weeks ago. The conventional wisdom is that height and weight are

distinct invented years in hard -- advantages in tug. Jo had neither of

those, her stature possibly the only thing about her that was diminutive.

Nevertheless there she was pulling for the women MP team, with every

fibre of her being and she dogged determination. That is how I want us

to remember her, the strong, brave, determined woman, giving her all the

absolute commitment. I want to remember Jo Cox for how she lived,

not how she died. And I want her to be a symbol of the politics of hope,

not the politics of fear. This parliament is a lot poorer for Jo's

passing and we at the SNP and Plaid Cymru extend our sincere condolences

to her friends in the Labour Party. Jo constituents have been robbed of

the person they chose to represent them. And to her family, we know

that your loss is immeasurable, your lives have been changed irrevocably,

and we hold all of you in our hearts. But I hope in time and they

are older, Jo's children will come to understand how much their purity

-- brilliant, beautiful mother was able to give humanity in her short

and beautiful life. We will never forget you, rest in peace. In the

midst of a tale of another Yorkshire tragedy which led to action and hope

in the midst of tragedy, we are told the flowers of Yorkshire are like

the women of Yorkshire, every phase has beauty but the last is most

glorious, and it was glorious, Jo. I was in awe of Jo. To be honest, I

was a bit envious, she was energetic, brave, dynamic, fit,

beautiful, passionate, I cannot ever recall seeing her sad, negative or

without hope. She once told me in a one-to-one meeting at Oxfam is my

manager that she did not do touchy-feely. And I was being too

emotional and we need to get on with it. -- needed to get on with it and

thought out the campaign we were working on. She believed in building

bridges, she was fiercely Labour to the core, but when we thought our

party was on the way out of government, she knew there were

bigger things at stake. We had to reach out to others, convince them

of the case for tackling global poverty, and the women and girls.

She was never satisfied with platitudes, she wanted action. We

have all been overwhelmed over the last few days of just how many lives

she touched, from the refugee camps of da four to the mountains of cat

-- Pakistan. But she was not a do-gooder jetting out to hand out

arms, she wanted to know why, who was was possible, what we could do

about it. She had a remarkable mind and an incredible ability to

multitask. I once met had to go and lobby officials in the Foreign

office and she turned up late, with her climbing kit in her bag, she

read the briefing, knew exactly what was happening in minutes and

delivered the crucial information with utter pointed nose and

confident and it was utterly brilliant. That universal brilliance

is felt by all those she worked with. She was described as a

fearless and confessional professional with an impish streak.

She had smarts and spirit. Connor, who worked so closely with her, he

said, she taught me so closely how to get stuff done with passion and

professionalism. Our friend Ben who spent a night with her on a mountain

in Pakistan, he said that we are meant to all be kind in NGOs, but

we're not, we can be vain, arrogant and mean. But not Jo, she liked

everyone and everyone liked her. She was furious at injustice but saw no

one as a permanent enemy and everyone as a potential ally. She

was a steely campaigner, one of the most kind, caring and committed

people we have had the privilege to know, but she could wait herself a

right royal pain in the Basque rise -- she could make herself and right

royal pain in the backside if you got on the wrong side of her. She

worked with Peter Mandelson as a young age, he had to quickly change

his approach! But most of all, Phil hit the mark, he said, Jo loved

justice and he loved -- and she loved loved. Adrian told me that she

saw the bravery and determination as she figured out how to hold state to

the fire in her own party as one of our opponent over Syria and the good

we needed to do. And Jo Sumter avidly, saying, she never just ask,

what do you think, always, or what should we do? This is what we should

do, act, love and the Unite, that is the Jo that I knew, kind, caring,

passionate, principled, who focused on doing for others and not just

being for ourselves. We stand united as colleagues and comrades to mourn

somebody who was an enormous figure in this house and would have gone on

to be much greater still, but for me and for millions of others, the

snatching away of a wife and a mother, hugely loving and hugely

loved, is what has moved Britain to stand in collective grief this last

few days. Others who knew Jo well have commented on her huge

achievements, in her career, before parliament, and the time she served

in the last 13 months as an outstanding member of Parliament. My

path crossed hers as we took the same side in the campaign for this

country to show compassion to desperate refugees, especially

children, fleeing Syria and out outside that area. Her legacy is one

of building bridges, and not walls. Of getting this Lancastrian to wear

this white Yorkshire rose. Of combining passion in what she

believed in with kindness in how she expressed it. Can we all agree now

that that is how our politics shall begin that it? We are shocked and we

are heartbroken -- shall be conducted? We are shocked and

heartbroken. On the half of my party, everyone in Cumbria, I want

to say that our injuring love and sympathy is with Jo's family. Let me

begin by saying again Jo's own words. Who can blame desperate

parents for wanting to escape the horror that their families are

experiencing? Children are being killed on their way to school, one

in three children have grown up knowing nothing but fear and war.

Those children have been exposed to things no child should ever witness

and I know that I would risk life and limb to get my two precious

babies... Out that hellhole. When Jo spoke, Mr Speaker, we all listened.

Why? Because the principles she drew on in that speech and in life is the

simple idea that we have none more in common than that which divides

us. -- that we have more in common than that which divides us. Her

words demonstrate that if we choose, we do not always have to see

ourselves as different from those who are far away, we can choose to

see what unites us. We all listened because her words spoke to each and

everyone of us. Now, to know Jo, even a little bit, was to understand

how proud she was of her family. And to hear her relish her role as a

mum. Many of her friends have spoken of her joy, warmth, natural charm.

She had a way of talking, not just about herself, her own ideas, but

always what we could do together. Jo took on the toughest of problems,

the most forgotten causes, and fought campaigns that we could all

feel a part of. That's truly would make change happen. Whether da four

or the DIC -- offer, or the PRC, she knew how things could fade without

activism. As she wrote, this is not inevitable, it is still contested

across the political spectrum. So Jo wrote about a fight, not just for

one country, one people or one cause, but a worldview that bestowed

on each of us rights and on all of this to protect. This is especially

true in her activism on women's rights. Faced with the great joy and

risk of motherhood, women are uniquely and equally vulnerable. So

when the world could not find the wherewithal to meet the millennium

development goal to cut maternal mortality, Jo took on this huge

challenge and made global leaders sit up and listen to women. Jo did

not just believe that women's voices should be had, she made it so. She

was a feminist is activism saved women's life and his political skill

good women elected to this house. -- and her political skill got women

elected to this house. She gave women the knowledge and networks to

take control and wind power. She did it not by hectoring or lecturing,

but by believing in the goodness of others, and as Jo friend and mine

has written, half holding you upright, half shoving you forward.

That is what it meant to her arm around your shoulder and how we all

long for those arms around our shoulder today for one or hug. And

definitely for one more smile. But it cannot be. Mr Speaker, those

words from Jo's maiden speech must therefore ring out today. We are far

more united and have far more in common with each other than the

things that divide us. Cheap populism cannot take hold. Jo's

vision of her country explained in that speech she made is one we know

in our hearts to be true. It is not where you come from that matters, it

is where you -- it is the compassion in your heart. You might be

ferociously proud of your hometown but you know compassion does not end

at its boundaries. And here is another thing that does not end. Jo

Cox's live had real man meaning. We may feel lost today but inside us

all, the love from her is still there. I speak today by agreement

for all the Northern Ireland parties, and members represented in

this house, the DUP, the SDLP over the Ulster Unionists and the

honourable member for North Down. We sit together and we speak with one

voice this afternoon to echo the common United response of all of the

people we represent at home in Northern Ireland. Whatever is said

cannot adequately express out deepest, most heartfelt feelings,

but through the words that have been spoken already and will be spoken, I

pray that Jo 's family may find some comfort and solace. We all want to

extend our deepest sympathies to Brendan, her children and the wider

family circle at the tragic loss of someone so loved, so admired and who

will be so missed. But we want also to extend our sympathies to the

Labour Party and the wider Labour movement, the people of Batley and

Spen and the many friends of Jo who have spoken about her recently in

such moving ways. It is right that we should meet together in this

Parliament today to record not just our disgust and outrage at what has

happened to an honoured colleague, but also to express our

determination to uphold the values of democracy and the open and

accessible way in which we conduct our political life in this country.

A lifelike Jo Cox's should not be defined by its end. It was her life

that counts, and that is what we remember today and should always

remember. We're Northern Ireland on all sides and in all parties have

experienced Eric Lee and personally attempted murder -- directly and

personally attempted murder attack 's, and you have lost friends and

colleagues to men of violence. We have felt the pain and anguish but

those close to Jo are going through now. Our hearts go out to you, our

thoughts are with you, and our prayers are that God will comfort

you and in due course, in the words of holy Scripture, give unto you

beauty for Ashes, the oil of choice in mourning, and the of praise, the

spread of heaviness. -- the garment of phrase.

A woman who faced with life, compassion, and commitment to social

justice. Woman who cherished family, served her community and whose sole

aim was to leave the world a better place when she found. And she did,

didn't she? A cross-party group on Syria and the government agreeing to

take 3000 unaccompanied Syrian child refugees. In 13 short months, she

achieved more than some MPs in 13 years. She had an open mind and an

open heart. And the world really needed somebody like her. Somebody

who never gave up, somebody who knew that by the strength of our common

endeavour, we achieved more than we can alone. We sent our deep

condolences to her family. We thank you for sharing her with us. It was

a blessing to know her. Rest in peace, sweet friend. I first met her

through my daughter when she was first working in Brussels. She said

I wasn't worried about leaving because I have found this brilliant

replacement called Jo Cox. There was some friendly rivalry, as my

daughter went on to work for David Miliband and Jo Cox for Gordon and

Sarah Brown. But was all in good heart. LAUGHTER. But the fact of the

matter... Later, only one year ago, is a long-standing member of

Parliament, suddenly I had to brilliant new members of Parliament

just down the road from me. In Dewsbury on Batley and Spen. And

what I happy. And what a change they have made to this chamber. Joe was

wonderful. Someone said to me the other day, don't be mistaken about

Jo. She is tough as old boots when she is campaigning for anything. I

upset her a couple of times. But she always got her own way. LAUGHTER.

But can I just say this. If you have a daughter like Jo, you must have a

good family behind you. My 10th granddaughter was born in owning a

few days ago. To have a girl like Jo, you need a wonderful and

supportive family. We have a duty in this house to watch over that family

in the days and months and years to come, because we have a duty to

support that family and those children. -- only a few days ago. I

didn't know how well at all, but the more I have learned about her life

and work makes me wish so much that I had done. But I wanted to convey

my party's very sincere condolences and our deep sadness and on behalf

of the many constituents who have been in touch with me, to send those

condolences to her husband, Brendan, her children, her other family and

friends. She knew what really mattered, she cut through to what

was important. Her commitment to cross-party working, speaking out

and justice was a shining light. When looking at what she achieved,

there is an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the causes she

advocated. And pledge not to let them be forgotten. It seems that all

who worked all-new herb considered her as a friend. I wanted to mention

the staff in her constituency office. -- all who knew her. She was

a formidable woman, juggling the demands of serving constituents with

those being mother. She was and will be very much missed and always be

remembered and we pledge in her memory to continue to do what we can

to put hope before hatred. This is a speech I could not even have

imagined giving just a few days ago. How bitterly ironic it feels to be

here in one of the greatest debating chambers and no words can do justice

to our sense of loss or the grief we feel for her family. My wife and I

have known the family for many years. They are a couple like each

other, driven, passionate, and in patient to change the world. I

remember having dinner with them on their boat and encouraging her to

stand for her constituency. I thought she would be a brilliant

candidate and a huge asset to Parliament. Her whole life had been

spent serving others. I told her she could continue to do that in

Parliament. Her willingness to enter public service has now cost her her

life. Over the weekend, many people have praised her maiden speech,

campaigning on Syria as the way she will remember -- be remembered. That

is the memory of her as a mother that will be in my mind. Some older

comrades are still not at ease with breast-feeding, it was something my

wife was doing and not feeling at ease. Jo sat down and began feeding

her own son to establish solidarity. It was how she saw others in her

everyday life. They went on to work together. And she raised her young

family with so much love. She would fight for other working-class women

to have the same opportunities as her, to end everyday sexism and to

make politics a safe space for women. Her life is now forever a

testament to just how important those causes are. She was right to

believe in public service. She was right to believe in making the world

a better place. And she was right to believe in this place. In the

overwhelming grief of this story, there are shards of hope that

exemplify what this country is really about. The two unarmed police

officers that wrestled her assailants to the ground, Bernard

Kenny who dashed from his car to try to save her, her assistant who was

with her when it happened. These are the true faces of Britain that we

love. And most of all there is Jo herself. When I had my own daughter

with me, she turned to me and asked... Daddy, can little girls

become the Prime Minister? Now when our daughters ask us that question,

let us tell them and inspire them with Jo's story. The

parliamentarian, the campaign, the mother and Jo, our friend.

Colleagues, thank you to everyone who has spoken in tribute to Jo. And

in support of her family. There was a tributes motion and I have to put

the question, but I hope that when I do so it will attract the loudest

unified response in the history of this house. The question is that

this house has considered the matter of tributes to Jo Cox. As many of

that opinion see aye. Aye! The ayes have it. The ayes have it. We will

adjourn formally in a moment or two. Before we do so, they I please

invite all right honourable and honourable members to follow me in

processing behind the Sergeant at Arms, via Central lobby and St

Stephen's entrance to Saint Margaret's chat across the road for

a service of prayer and remembrance for the life of Jo Cox. And in

saying what I have just said, perhaps I can just take this

opportunity to re-emphasise that our chaplain, rose Hudson Wilkin, who

will be at the service will also be available in days to come to support

members, the staff of members and the staff of this house. Sittings of

the house motion moved formally. Thank you. As many of that opinion

see... The ayes have it. The adjournment, the question is that

this house now adjourn. See aye. Aye. The ayes habit. APPLAUSE.