More than 30 Labour MPs who joined parliament in 2015 alongside Jo Cox have paid tribute to their friend and colleague, with a video in which they call for people to reject the “politics of hate” that contributed to her death.
The group describe their friend, “our Jo”, as “a mother ... a fighter ... a campaigner ... an internationalist ... a feminist [and] a proud Yorkshire lass”.
Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, said Cox was “someone who believed in the power of politics to change the world”.
Karin Smyth and Margaret Greenwood, the MPs for Bristol South and Wirral West respectively, argued that everyone could do something to carry on “Jo’s legacy”.
Ruth Smeeth, who represents Stoke-on-Trent North, said: “For the sake of generations that follow, ours must ensure the politics of hate doesn’t grip our communities.”
The video was organised by Wes Streeting, the MP for Ilford North, who told the Guardian: “The hatred that cut down our friend in the prime of her life must be rejected, but the current climate also requires us to ask a bigger question: what sort of country do we want?
“As a new generation of Labour MPs who entered parliament with Jo, we want to honour her memory by fighting for what she stood for. She was a relentless campaigner for equality and human rights in Britain, and around the world.
“Against the backdrop of the toxic and febrile atmosphere in our political life, it’s time to bring out the best of Britain: a country that is socially just, open and inclusive, and that looks to the world with optimism, confidence and leadership. As Jo said: ‘we’ve got more in common than that which divides us’.”
The message put forward by Cox will be at the heart of events in London, her Yorkshire constituency and across the world to remember the late MP, and unite against divisive politics.
A fund to support causes close to Cox has raised more than £1m. Friends and campaigners said tributes had helped her husband, Brendan, and Cox’s children, Cuillin and Lejla, through this “hugely distressing time”.
It comes as 1,500 parliamentarians from 40 countries, including Sadiq Khan, Boris Johnson and Angus Robertson from the UK, sign a letter saying Cox was “brutally and senselessly snatched away”.
“Let this be a turning point for us all. Beyond politics and parties, we must as societies stand together to stem the poisonous rising tide of fear and hate that breeds division and extremism,” they write.
“We must follow Jo’s example to open our arms with love to our communities, our neighbours and those less fortunate than ourselves, and to celebrate our tolerance and diversity.
“Jo was a lifelong campaigner against injustice. She entered parliament because she wanted to be in the engine room of change, to steer a course toward a better future. Today we say: we will keep our hands on the wheel. We will do whatever it takes to renew our bonds and fight for those at the margins of our society, our continent and the world.”
