As a fellow member of the 2015 intake of MPs I was devastated to hear the news of Jo Cox’s murder. My heart goes out to her family and her many, many friends inside and outside parliament. It is heart-breaking to know that two young children will now grow up without their mother. She was murdered in broad daylight while doing the job she loved and while serving the people whom she was so obviously proud to call her constituents.
In her all too short parliamentary career, Jo made a huge impression and was respected and admired by everyone who came into contact her - from all political parties. Whenever Jo spoke in the chamber of the House of Commons the house fell silent to listen to her. That is not an honour bestowed on all MPs and it speaks volumes about the high regard she was held in. Whenever Jo stood up to speak you knew it would be worth listening to. Jo also had a very endearing style of speaking: she made short, passionate, insightful points and focused especially on matters close to her heart, which she had spent nearly two decades campaigning on before entering parliament for the first – and, sadly, last time - just 13 short months ago.
Some MPs spend their time in parliament only interacting with their own party colleagues, walking around with the heads bowed, avoiding eye contact with opposition MPs and staring into their smartphones. Jo always held her head high, greeted everyone with a smile and a hello and literally spread joy with her very presence.
Jo made an effort to get on with everybody and worked on cross party campaigns. I know she worked particularly closely with Andrew Mitchell MP on international development issues and Syria. Andrew captured her spirit accurately when he said of her yesterday that she was ‘a force of nature’ and ‘a five foot bundle of Yorkshire grit.’
She will be greatly missed.