16/06/2016 The Papers

Let's look now at tomorrow's newspapers.

With me are Paul Johnson, the Deputy Editor of the Guardian,

and Tim Collins, a former Conservative MP and

Managing Director of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs.

Of course, there is only one story we will be talking about. The death

of Jo Cox is reflected on all the papers. We will show you throughout

our discussion. A very stark front page coming up. That tells us

exactly who Jo was. Proud to be a Yorkshire woman, a mother and

dedicated MP? This is a truly full story. It is almost as if it has

reverberated right the way through the nation. A lot of people sitting

at home tonight will somehow feel that they knew her. She was utterly

decent and committed. She was fair and open. She was obviously a

politician with a real conscience. The places she travelled to, lived

her life completely in the service of others whether it was in

international affairs or more recently as a West Yorkshire MP,

politicians from all parties had so many wonderful things to say about

her. They have. You talk about the places she went. She went to some of

the most dangerous places you would think in the world. Was near,

Darfur, Syria. She always came back home safely. But in her own home

High Street she was not able to be safe. As Paul says, it was

particularly tragic because she leaves behind two very young

children who will not see their mother again. It is terrible. She

believed in a better world and fought for it every day. She has

these small children who were often to be seen in portcullis house if

she was not going to be home in time to say good night to them. It is her

husband of those children you really think about. It is not only that she

had this marvellous life of public service. There are lots of people

who didn't know her, like me, but I almost feel like I did because of

the things which have been said about her. It's not just that that

wonderful life has been brought to an end, it is that these others,

particularly her husband and her children, will have their lives

totally transformed for the worse in a way which just seems unimaginable

and impossible to understand. I have been thinking all afternoon and

evening how wonderful it would've been to have known her because of

the tributes which have been paid to her. The statement from her husband

within an hour or so of dying, having put that picture on Twitter

which he only took yesterday, he has said we need to make sure the hatred

which killed her as the thing we battle against fun no-one. This is

now starting to be reflected. We have some comment in the papers.

There appears to be a bit of a change going on. There is a piece by

Michael Deacon on the front of the Telegraph which says public

discourse about politicians has turned ugly recently. He has said he

is sick of the poison which has been poured into the system. People

should stop thinking we are ruled by the cabal is of the greedy and

callous. It is a very powerful piece. But some of the people

pouring poison into the system are some politicians themselves. I

wonder whether this tragedy will change some of that. The referendum

campaign has been suspended for 24 hours. It would be quite a

remarkable thing if the town did change. It would be lovely.

Strategically it be in the interest for both campaigns to be positive.

Rather than knocking seven bells out of each other. Maybe after this

tragedy they will do that for that reason. Ball is right. The piece on

the front of the Telegraph, the whole thesis is saying that after

the MPs expenses scandal, we have decided to think of all members of

Parliament, right, left, senior, Junior, as corrupt and trying to

milk the system. And that really is not true. The vast majority of MPs

do the best service for the public they possibly can. And the story we

are hearing about Jo Cox me I hope encourage people to understand that

she coolly was an MP different from that. -- clearly. Polly Toynbee

talks about a chilling culture war breaking out, divide deeper than she

had ever known. A tweet from Robert Harris, the former political editor,

he talks about the referendum in terms of being depressing, divisive

and you pick -- to pick the tests -- Cupid litters. .

We know there have been tragedies in the past. We also know that for what

it is worth the early indications are that the person arrested appears

to have a history of mental illness. You simply cannot see that they are

attached to one cause another. It important to recognise this as a

charity, whether people agreed with or didn't agree with her, the

strength of British democracy is that constituents can go and see an

MP and mustn't lose that. We must I hope be more civilised in our public

discourse. I really hope neither campaign tries to take advantage of

this. We always think it is so much more difficult to get hold of a

weapon legally in the UK. That will raise questions. This thing is

puzzling. On makeshift gun, whatever that is. A knife was involved in 12.

There was a lot of reporting tonight about the individual who has been

arrested. He lived with his grandmother for many years. And odd

job man. None of these things sort of ad up in that sense. A lot of

attention on the words which are apparently shouted, Britain first.

Some reports are saying it was put Britain first. It adds a chilling

element to it. The far right political party of that name have

said the condemn what has happened and are not aware of the person who

was involved. Absolutely. The Guardian wrote an extremely good

editorial on the subject of the Orlando tragedy earlier this week,

pointed out that in that context we need to be calm and not judge groups

according to what individuals to. And I think that it is true for this

as well. The sun has used a picture that Brendan Cox treated of Jo when

he had heard that she had died, it was sometime before we had those

reports the hospital that she died at 2pm this afternoon, but it raises

questions about the safety of MPs. She was doing what MPs do all the

time. She had a surgery that would've been advertising the local

paper, so everyone locally would have known what was going on. Some

MPs operate on a system whereby you have to book appointment, others say

you can turn up randomly. He appears to have just been outside. I really

think it is important. One of the real strengths of the British

system, in America people represent ten times as many as they do here,

so you can't have that kind of relationship. Most of Europe had

different voting systems. QB have the ability for an MP to be part of

the community and I really hope you don't lose that. It's such a

precious part of how we are governed in this country. Especially for Jo,

who was