Three weeks ago, MPs from across the House came to Thurrock to record a single with the Thurrock Community Chorus in remembrance of our colleague Jo Cox. The recording will be released on 16th December and the proceeds will go to the Jo Cox foundation. The chorus did Thurrock proud and I hope the song is a great success.
The assassination of Jo came at a particularly ugly point in our politics. The tone of some of the debate during the referendum was unneccessarily divisive. Those who felt Britain would be better off remaining in Europe were unfairly accused of not believing in Britain. In the case of Jo, nothing could be further from the truth. Her passionate advocacy for concerted humanitarian action in Syria represented the best of British values.
In recent years it has become fashionable to be critical of MPs. That Jo was murdered on her way to her routine surgery is a sign of just how accessible we are. We routinely have to take on institutions of the state on behalf of our constituents. If the role of MP continues to be held in diminished respect, our ability to fight good causes will be similarly diminished. It will be victims of injustice that will be the losers.
Free speech is the right to express opinion, it is not the right to abuse or intimidate. We all want this country to be the best it can be. So when we disagree we should do so with mutual respect