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Jo Cox: Cameron and Corbyn in joint event at scene of death – latest news Jo Cox death: 'The well of hatred killed her,' Corbyn says – latest updates
(35 minutes later)
2.25pm BST
14:25
Cox was described as “our own Princess Diana” in book of condolences in Batley town hall, Helen Pidd reports.
A book of condolences has opened at Batley town hall. One message describes Jo Cox as "our own Princess Diana" pic.twitter.com/PksfuIVYqw
2.23pm BST
14:23
Corbyn's speech in full: 'We will not allow people who spread hatred and poison to divide [us]'
And here is the full text of Jeremy Corbyn’s speech
We need our whole society to be secure. Jo was brutally murdered here 24 hours ago in this town, a town she loved, a town she grew up in serving a community she’d loved.
In her life she’d worked for anti-slavery campaigns, she’d worked for Oxfam, she was a campaigner for human rights and justice all around the world.
She was taken from us in an act of hatred, in a vile act that has killed her. It’s an attack on democracy what happened yesterday, it’s the well of hatred that killed her.
She leaves behind a husband who made a truly wonderful statement yesterday, a statement saying that in her memory we would try to conquer hatred with love and with respect. She also leaves behind two young children who will never see their mother again, they will only be able to grow up knowing what she was, what she stood for, and what she achieved.
I’ve asked the prime minister and the Speaker for the recall of parliament on Monday, and they’ve accepted that request, and parliament will be recalled on Monday so that we can pay due tribute to her on behalf of everybody in this country who values democracy, values the right of free speech and values the right of political expression, free from the kind of brutality that Jo suffered.
That’s why we all need to come together, to understand that everyone must have protection and security in order to function in a democratic society.
Jo was an exceptional, wonderful, very talented woman, taken from us in her early 40s when she had so much to give and so much of her life ahead of her.
It’s a tragedy beyond tragedy what happened yesterday. In her memory, we will not allow those people who spread hatred and poison to divide our society. We will strengthen our democracy, strengthen our free speech.
She was a truly wonderful woman. I’m deeply sorry, deeply sad at what has happened to her and my condolences to all the people of Batley and Spen who she represented so well, and, of course, to her wonderful family, her husband, her children and all of her wider family.
2.21pm BST
14:21
Matthew Weaver
The BBC reported that the gun recovered at the scene of Cox’s murder was not “home made” as some witnesses claimed.
A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police refused to confirm the report. “This is not something that has come for us. All we have said is that weapons including a firearm have been recovered. We are not getting into what type of firearm it is.”
Updated
at 2.21pm BST
2.12pm BST
14:12
Cameron's speech in full: 'Where we see intolerance we must drive it out of our politics'
Here is the full text of David Cameron’s speech.
I first met Jo in Darfur in 2006 where she was doing what she was brilliant at, which was looking after and saving the lives of vulnerable refugees. And here we are today commemorating her life that’s been lost.
And of course the most profound thing that has happened is that two children have lost their mother, a husband has lost a loving wife, and parliament has lost one of its most passionate and brilliant campaigners, someone who epitomised the fact that politics is about serving others.
Today our nation is rightly shocked. And I think it is a moment to stand back and think about some of the things that are so important about our country. The fact that we should treasure and value our democracy, where members of parliament are out in the public, accountable to the public, available to the public, and that’s how Jo died. She died doing her job.
I think the second thing is that we should recognise that politics is about public service. People who go into public life, they want to act in the public interest, to pursue the national interest, to do things for other people, to make the country, make the world a better place. Politicians disagree with each other. We often disregard what politicians say, disregard each other and the rest of it. But at the end of the day that is what it is about, and that is what Jo showed it is all about.
But, perhaps, most important of all we should value and see as precious the democracy that we have on these islands where 65m of us live together and work together and get on together. We do have peace, we do have stability and we do have a measure of economic wellbeing better than other countries, obviously still to be spread far more widely. And it is all underpinned by tolerance. So where we see hatred, where we find division, where we see intolerance we must drive it out of our politics and out of our public life and out of our communities.
And if we truly want to honour Jo, then what we should do is recognise that her values - service, community, tolerance - the values she lived by and worked by, those are the values that we need to redouble in our national life in the months and years to come.
Updated
at 2.14pm BST
1.58pm BST
13:58
Matthew Weaver
The former Labour leader Ed Miliband said Jo Cox’s murder should prompt a rethink on the amount hatred and lack of respect in politics.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme he said: “We should reflect on Jo’s life and what she taught us rather than the manner of her death. We should reflect on the way we conduct our politics. There is too much hatred and not enough respect, and that’s true on all sides.”
He insisted that most politicians were motivated by noble causes and urged the public to recognise that. He said:
It’s also perhaps a moment of reflection for the country because Jo was exceptional, but her commitment, her reasons for going into politics, her wish to make the world a better place was not exceptional. Politicians right across the House of Commons, the vast majority are in it for the right reasons. This terrible tragedy has shone a light on the work of Jo and many of my colleagues in the House of Commons across all sides. They are not in it for the money or the fame, they are in it to try and serve their constituents …
For everyone around politics – press, politicians, perhaps members of the public too – yesterday was just this moment when you thought: ‘Gosh, a lot of the way we conduct ourselves looks so small in comparison to this terrible event.’
Miliband added: “This is a crushing day for everybody who knew her. For the Labour party we have lost a member of our family.
“My thoughts today are most of all with Brendan, her husband, and her two little kids, and that’s what makes this so unbearable.”
The former Labour leader said it would take “weeks and months to understand what motivated” [Cox’s killer]. And he urged politicians not use her death for political purposes.
He added: “I think it is very important in British politics that this is in no way used against one side or another. She was somebody who believed in inclusiveness, treating others with respect, disagreeing without being disagreeable.”
Asked about whether he was concerned about his security, he said: “The great thing about the job I had and the job I do is the ability to interact with people, not with security, not cut off from the public. Of course we have got to look at all of the issues around security … but I want us to hold on to the accessibility of our democracy.”
Updated
at 2.14pm BST
1.57pm BST
13:57
This is from my colleague Oliver Duggan.
Cameron/Corbyn statement began at exactly 13.48, 24 hours to the minute after #JoCoxMP was murdered just yards away. Parliament recalled.
1.55pm BST
13:55
John Bercow says Cox was someone whose passion and ability was widely admired.
She was a “quite outstanding” MP and made a remarkable impression in just 13 months.
She had a huge amount more to give, he says. She was inspired by moral passion.
He says her killing was a “despicable and appalling act” which has shocked millions of people, not just in the UK but around the world.
He says free speech must continue. It must not be “dulled or dimmed or cowed” in any way by people who think violence can triumph.
He says from his vantage point he got to see and hear Cox. He knew of her extraordinary hard work. They have come together in grief.
Updated
at 2.15pm BST
1.52pm BST1.52pm BST
13:5213:52
Corbyn announces the Commons will be recalled on Monday for tributes to CoxCorbyn announces the Commons will be recalled on Monday for tributes to Cox
Jeremy Corbyn says we need our whole society to be secure.Jeremy Corbyn says we need our whole society to be secure.
Jo had worked for anti-slavery campaigns, for Oxfam, for human rights all around the world, he says.Jo had worked for anti-slavery campaigns, for Oxfam, for human rights all around the world, he says.
He says what happened is an attack on democracy. The “well of hatred” killed her.He says what happened is an attack on democracy. The “well of hatred” killed her.
He says the statement from Brendan Cox, Jo’s husband, was exceptional.He says the statement from Brendan Cox, Jo’s husband, was exceptional.
He says he has asked the prime minister and the Speaker for parliament to be recalled, and it will be recalled on Monday.He says he has asked the prime minister and the Speaker for parliament to be recalled, and it will be recalled on Monday.
Cox was an exceptional woman. It is “a tragedy beyond tragedy” what happened to her, he says.Cox was an exceptional woman. It is “a tragedy beyond tragedy” what happened to her, he says.
He says he is deeply sorry and deeply sad about what happened.He says he is deeply sorry and deeply sad about what happened.
Updated
at 2.17pm BST
1.49pm BST1.49pm BST
13:4913:49
David Cameron says he first met Jo Cox in Darfur in 2006, when she was saving the lives of refugees.David Cameron says he first met Jo Cox in Darfur in 2006, when she was saving the lives of refugees.
He says two children have lost their mother, and parliament has lost one of its best MPs.He says two children have lost their mother, and parliament has lost one of its best MPs.
He says today is a day to stand back and think about what we treasure. One of those is having MPs available to the public.He says today is a day to stand back and think about what we treasure. One of those is having MPs available to the public.
And we should recognise that politicians are there to serve the public, he says.And we should recognise that politicians are there to serve the public, he says.
And we should value and see as precious the democracy we have in these islands.And we should value and see as precious the democracy we have in these islands.
He says our democracy is underpinned by tolerance. Where we see intolerance, we should drive it out. Those are the values that Cox represented.He says our democracy is underpinned by tolerance. Where we see intolerance, we should drive it out. Those are the values that Cox represented.
Updated
at 2.18pm BST
1.46pm BST1.46pm BST
13:4613:46
Cameron and Corbyn in BirstallCameron and Corbyn in Birstall
David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn have arrived together in Birstall to lay flowers in honour of Jo Cox. They are with John Bercow, the Commons speaker, Hilary Benn, a Leeds MP and shadow foreign secretary, and the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Speaker’s chaplain. David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn have arrived together in Birstall to lay flowers in honour of Jo Cox. They are with John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, Hilary Benn, a Leeds MP and the shadow foreign secretary, and the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Speaker’s chaplain.
Updated
at 2.18pm BST
1.44pm BST1.44pm BST
13:4413:44
This is an interesting idea, from the Tory MP Jason McCartney. The tweet is from BuzzFeed’s Jim Waterson.This is an interesting idea, from the Tory MP Jason McCartney. The tweet is from BuzzFeed’s Jim Waterson.
Tory MP Jason McCartney tells us he wants parliament recalled, with MPs from all parties mixing and sitting together on both sides of house.Tory MP Jason McCartney tells us he wants parliament recalled, with MPs from all parties mixing and sitting together on both sides of house.
1.41pm BST1.41pm BST
13:4113:41
1.38pm BST1.38pm BST
13:3813:38
Flags were flying at half mast outside City Hall in London too.Flags were flying at half mast outside City Hall in London too.
Jo Cox was a formidable politician, campaigner and person. I will miss her. City Hall flags lowered to half-mast. pic.twitter.com/AoVzwwEZR5Jo Cox was a formidable politician, campaigner and person. I will miss her. City Hall flags lowered to half-mast. pic.twitter.com/AoVzwwEZR5
1.36pm BST1.36pm BST
13:3613:36
Downing Street posted his picture on Twitter within the last hour.Downing Street posted his picture on Twitter within the last hour.
As a mark of respect for Jo Cox MP our flag is flying at half-mast over Number 10 today pic.twitter.com/vpiOEBXOKHAs a mark of respect for Jo Cox MP our flag is flying at half-mast over Number 10 today pic.twitter.com/vpiOEBXOKH
1.34pm BST1.34pm BST
13:3413:34
David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn are due to arrive in Birstall shortly to pay tribute to Jo Cox.David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn are due to arrive in Birstall shortly to pay tribute to Jo Cox.
World's media assembled in #Birstall waiting for visit by David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn to pay tribute to #JoCox pic.twitter.com/VOCvvXOKusWorld's media assembled in #Birstall waiting for visit by David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn to pay tribute to #JoCox pic.twitter.com/VOCvvXOKus
1.33pm BST1.33pm BST
13:3313:33
Here is the statement from the Conservative party about its decision not to put up a candidate in the Batley and Spen byelection.Here is the statement from the Conservative party about its decision not to put up a candidate in the Batley and Spen byelection.
Following the tragic killing of Labour MP Jo Cox, the Conservative party has decided not to contest the forthcoming byelection as a mark of respect to a much-loved and respected politician.Following the tragic killing of Labour MP Jo Cox, the Conservative party has decided not to contest the forthcoming byelection as a mark of respect to a much-loved and respected politician.
UpdatedUpdated
at 1.38pm BSTat 1.38pm BST
1.24pm BST1.24pm BST
13:2413:24
Merkel urges British politicians to moderate their rhetoricMerkel urges British politicians to moderate their rhetoric
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has urged politicians in the UK to moderate their language in the EU referendum campaign. In response to a question about the killing of Jo Cox, she told journalists today:Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has urged politicians in the UK to moderate their language in the EU referendum campaign. In response to a question about the killing of Jo Cox, she told journalists today:
The exaggerations and radicalisation of part of the language do not help to foster an atmosphere of respect.The exaggerations and radicalisation of part of the language do not help to foster an atmosphere of respect.
That’s why we all value democratic game rules. And we know how important it is to draw limits, be it in the choice of speech, in the choice of the argument but also in the choice of partly disparaging argument.That’s why we all value democratic game rules. And we know how important it is to draw limits, be it in the choice of speech, in the choice of the argument but also in the choice of partly disparaging argument.
Otherwise the radicalisation will become unstoppable.Otherwise the radicalisation will become unstoppable.
UpdatedUpdated
at 1.38pm BSTat 1.38pm BST
1.17pm BST1.17pm BST
13:1713:17
In the House of Commons there will be a vigil in memory of Jo Cox by the Speaker’s chaplain, the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft at 7pm. The vigil outside in Parliament Square will start at 7.30pm, so that MPs can attend after the Commons one is over.In the House of Commons there will be a vigil in memory of Jo Cox by the Speaker’s chaplain, the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft at 7pm. The vigil outside in Parliament Square will start at 7.30pm, so that MPs can attend after the Commons one is over.