Jo Cox

MP Jo Cox has been described as a "21st Century Good Samaritan" in a church service held to remember her life.

At St Peter's Church, Birstall - in Mrs Cox's constituency - the Rev Paul Knight called her a "fervent advocate for the poor and the oppressed".

The mother of two was killed in the town on Thursday, and a fund set up in her name has exceeded £700,000.

Her husband, Brendan, posted on Twitter to say he had taken their children camping in their mother's memory.

"Jo loved camping. Last night the kids & I camped in her memory & remembered the last time we were all woken by the dawn chorus," he wrote.

Politicians will return to Westminster later to pay tribute to Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed in her constituency in West Yorkshire on Thursday.

MPs, who had been in recess for the EU referendum, have been recalled to the Commons to remember Mrs Cox, 41, who was described as "perfect" by her family. The Lords are also returning.

They will then process to St Margaret's Church for a short memorial service.
It had been suggested that MPs from different parties might sit together when they appear in the Commons later as a sign of unity.

On Sunday, the leader of the Commons, Chris Grayling, said "conventional party politics should be a million miles away", while Mr Corbyn told the BBC he was considering allowing Labour MPs to sit with colleagues from rival parties.

Jo Cox was killed because of her strong political views, her widower Brendan has told the BBC.

The late Labour MP would want people to stand up for her beliefs "in death as much as she did in life", he told political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

He said his late wife, who would have been 42 tomorrow, was concerned about "coarsening" of the referendum debate.

He also spoke about the need to support their children to "make sure something good comes out of this".
A fund set up in her memory has raised £1m in donations while a series of events will be held around the country on Wednesday to mark what would have been her 42nd birthday.


Mr Cox said that his late wife - who was a passionate campaigner for human rights, international development and the plight of refugees during her parliamentary career and in her previous role working for Oxfam - "died for her views".

"She was a politician and she had very strong political views and I believe was she killed because of those views," he said. "I think she died because of them and she would want to stand up for those in death as much as she did in life.

"I don't want people ascribing views to her that she didn't have but I certainly want to continue to fight for the legacy and for the politics and the views she espoused.

Events are taking place around the world to mark the birthday of killed MP Jo Cox.

The Labour MP and mother of two was shot and stabbed in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on Thursday.

Organisers said the events, on what would have been her 42nd birthday, would "show the world we have more in common than that which divides us".

Tributes are planned in New York, Paris, London and in Mrs Cox's Batley and Spen constituency.