The Eighth Anniversary of Jo’s Murder

Eight years ago today, on 16 June 2016, Jo Cox was tragically murdered while on her way to a constituency surgery in Batley and Spen. In the days that followed, the global wave of grief and solidarity demonstrated that her values were widely shared. 

In 2016, those closest to Jo lost their mum, daughter, sister, wife, friend, and colleague. We all lost a talented politician and passionate campaigner, who was driven by her belief that a fairer, kinder and more tolerant world was possible.

Jo believed that even the greatest challenges could be overcome and at The Jo Cox Foundation, we share this belief. She was a strong believer in working cross-party on issues and in achieving a gender-equal Parliament. Her tragic murder was a turning point in recognising the need for better politics in the UK, and in January this year we published the Jo Cox Civility Commission’s 28 recommendations to tackle the abuse and intimidation of elected representatives.

We also share Jo’s belief that, together, we can strengthen communities to become less lonely, better connected, and more united. It is fitting that in the month in which Jo would have been turning 50, and with the General Election approaching, communities will be celebrating what unites us and rejecting division at Great Get Togethers across the UK next weekend (21-23 June), inspired by the message from her maiden speech: “We have more in common than that which divides us.”

The eighth anniversary of Jo Cox’s murder today, and her birthday on 22 June, are occasions for us to remember Jo’s life and the change she made, which we endeavour to continue every day through our work at The Jo Cox Foundation.