Hello. I’m Doug Chalmers, Chair of the Ethics and Integrity Commission.
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Jo Cox, who was tragically murdered on her way to a routine constituency surgery in her constituency of Batley-and-Spen.
Jo was a special parliamentarian. In her short time in the House, she made waves on a range of issues – including loneliness; support for children with autism; and the protection of civilians in warzones around the world.
Jo’s death came just one week before Britain voted in the referendum on membership of the European Union. She was murdered at a time of great division across the country, and the anniversary of her death is an important reminder of the necessity for civility and tolerance in public life.
I am very proud to run a Commission whose predecessor, the Committee for Standards in Public Life, worked so closely with The Jo Cox Foundation. Our two organisations have collaborated significantly in the past and, while our name may have changed, the EIC’s commitment to our shared values couldn’t be stronger.
The work we produced together was heavily underpinned by the Nolan Principles.
When we consider the behaviours we should be exhibiting towards one another in public life, there couldn’t be a better set of ideals to guide us.
The principle of ‘Leadership’, in particular, emphasises the importance of treating others with respect. It is a principle I am particularly drawn to when I think about Jo and the world we inhabit ten years later.
The division we are experiencing in society today is indicative of the fact that some of the lessons we should have learned after Jo’s murder remain unrealised.
It is leadership that is needed to demand better.
Better standards, better behaviour, and better respect for one another.
Jo was driven by her belief in a better world. There couldn’t be a more pertinent time than the anniversary of her death to remember the message of her maiden speech in Parliament – that we have far more in common than that which divides us.
Thank you.