On June 16, 2016, Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered on her way to meet constituents in Batley & Spen by a far-right extremist. Nearly a decade later, the anniversary comes amid fresh unrest on British streets, underscoring a deepening divide.
A Promise Unfulfilled
Sir Keir Starmer, elected alongside Cox, hosted a Great Get Together in Downing Street to mark the anniversary. Olivia Field, CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation, reflected: 'We're doing a lot of reflecting and thinking back to the promises made 10 years ago. Jo's murder shocked the nation, and in the immediate aftermath, people came together, choosing connection over division. But that unity was short-lived.'
Just a week after Cox's murder, the UK voted to leave the EU, setting the stage for years of bitter acrimony. Brexit gave way to immigration concerns, and resentment toward the status quo fractured the political landscape. In October 2021, MP Sir David Amess was killed by an ISIS sympathizer.
Renewed Violence
The lead-up to the anniversary has been marred by two violent incidents. The sentencing of Henry Nowak's killer sparked riots in Southampton, while a knife attack in Belfast led to unrest targeting minority residents. Both were stoked by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a figure embodying the hatred Cox opposed.
Yet, amid the chaos, echoes of Cox's spirit emerged. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, after meeting Nowak's family, noted their friends across faith and race. The family of Belfast victim Stephen Ogilvie stated: 'Migrants make a valuable contribution. We do not want this tragedy to divide people.'
As Jo Cox said in her first parliamentary speech: 'We have more in common than that which divides us.'
