Corbyn and Cameron come together to lay flowers in memory of “a truly wonderful woman”

Jeremy Corbyn and David Cameron have said they will not allow hatred to win over democracy and freedom in a joint address offering further tributes to Jo Cox this afternoon.

Corbyn confirmed his request for Parliament be recalled on Monday had been granted in order for the country to pay tribute to the late MP at a memorial for Cox in Birstall, where she was killed.

The Labour leader said the country would strengthen our commitment to democracy and free speech as well as understand public figures require security and protection.

He said “It is an attack on democracy what happened yesterday. It’s the well of hatred that killed her.

“She leaves behind a husband who made a truly wonderful statement yesterday – a statement saying that in her memory we would try to conquer hatred with love and with respect.

“That is why we all must come together to understand everyone must have protection and security in order to function in a democratic society.

“In her memory we will not allow those people who spread hatred and poison to divide our society. We will strengthen democracy, strengthen our free speech.

“She was a truly wonderful woman. I’m deeply sorry, deeply sad for what has happened to her.”

David Cameron joined Corbyn, Commons Speaker John Bercow and Commons Chaplain Rose Hudson-Wilkin for the ceremony in West Yorkshire.

The group laid flowers as part of a solemn and sad tribute to Cox, who was MP for Batley and Spen.

This afternoon Cameron asked people to remember the public service contribution offered by politicians of all parties.

“Today our nation is rightly shocked and I think it is a moment to stand back and think about some of the things that are so important about our country.

“The fact that we should treasure and value our democracy. Where Members of Parliament are out in the public, accountable to the public available to the public.

“That’s how Jo died. She died doing her job.

“The second thing we should recognise that politics is about public service. People who go into public life – they want to act in the national interest, to pursue the national interest. To do things for other people. To make the country, make the world a better place

“Most importantly of all we should value and see as precious the democracy that we have on these islands where 65 million of us live together and work together and get on together.

“It’s all underpinned by tolerance. So where we see hated, where we find division, where we see intolerance, we must drive it out of politics and out of public life and out of our communities.

“If we truly want to honour Jo we need to recognise that her values – service community, tolerance – the values she lived by and worked by, those are the values we need to redouble in our national life in the months and in the years to come.”

Cameron and Corbyn have not appeared together throughout the EU referendum campaign but joined forces to respond to yesterday’s tragedy. Both sides of the EU debate have suspended their campaign out of respect for Cox. The campaigns are expected to resume on Monday.