Today marks a decade since the killing of Jo Cox, a British Member of Parliament whose voice still resonates among many, especially those of us fortunate enough to have known her. Cox was only in Parliament for 13 months, having been elected in May 2015, only to be killed on June 16, 2016, in the final week before the British public voted to leave the EU.
Cox’s killing was a tragedy not only because it was the murder of a 41-year-old mother who was dedicated to public service, but also because it was an attack on the ethos she had.
“We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divides us.” That sentence from her maiden speech in Parliament has been widely publicised over the years and inspired the name of the foundation set up in Cox’s honour, “More in Common”.
Cox had advocated passionately for the UK to remain in Europe, and to encourage immigration while responding to the concerns of local communities. Her killer made it clear that his motivation was political.
Thomas Mair, who was convicted of her murder, shouted repeatedly “Britain First” and “This is for Britain” as he attacked her, stabbing her 15 times as she arrived for a meeting with her constituents in Birstall, West Yorkshire. Mair was a white supremacist who also gave his name in court as “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain”, using language echoed by xenophobic extremists openly advocating for the targeting of immigrants in the UK today.
Just days before she was killed, Cox wrote about the positive role immigrants played in the UK. The courage and positions she stood for seem to be a rarity in the British public discourse today. Ten years later, the UK is facing the rise of the far right and has witnessed violence from Southampton to Belfast. Protests in the past few weeks have seen extremists burning houses, openly calling for the killing of minorities and immigrants.
Cox was never reluctant to reach out to political rivals and those with whom she disagreed. She worked closely with Conservative politician Andrew Mitchell on Syria; she was one of the loudest British voices calling for the protection of civilians at the peak of the Syrian civil war.
The UK would be well-placed to remember Jo Cox’s legacy and honour it. The lacklustre reaction to her death at the time is echoed by incompetent progressive political actors in Westminster today unable to deliver for their constituents. The failure to curb far-right groups, in addition to the absence of serious cross-party collaboration, threaten the UK much more than most British politicians seem willing or able to admit.
