Jo Cox maiden speech in the House of Commons
17 June 2016 (updated on 17 June 2016)
Jo Cox was elected to the House of Commons to represent the constituency of Batley and Spen in the 2015 General Election. She was a member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee from July 2015 until March 2016.
Maiden speech
Jo Cox gave her maiden speech in the House of Commons Chamber on Wednesday 3 June 2015.
“Thank you, Mr Speaker; it is a great privilege to be called to make my maiden speech in this most important of debates, and I congratulate many others who have made outstanding maiden speeches today.
I am sure that many right hon. and hon. Members will claim that their constituencies consist of two halves or numerous parochial parts; I am another in that respect, and Batley and Spen is very much that kind of constituency. It is a joy to represent such a diverse community.
Batley and Spen is a gathering of typically independent, no-nonsense and proud Yorkshire towns and villages. Our communities have been deeply enhanced by immigration, be it of Irish Catholics across the constituency or of Muslims from Gujarat in India or from Pakistan, principally from Kashmir. While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”
Parliamentary contributions
You can watch Jo Cox’s contributions to Parliament on Parliament TV.