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Jeremy Corbyn and David Cameron have joined together in a powerful show of unity after the murder of Jo Cox.

The Labour leader and Prime Minister lay flowers together in Birstall, where the MP was shot dead doing her job just 24 hours before.

Their shared platform, unimaginable in the usual sound and fury of politics, showed an unprecedented cross-party unity in honour of the MP.

Mr Corbyn condemned the murder as an "attack on democracy" as he confirmed Parliament will be recalled on Monday to pay tribute.

It came after Tory chiefs confirmed they will not contest Mrs Cox's Batley and Spen seat in a show of respect.

And Labour suspended all campaigning in the EU referendum for the whole weekend.

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Mr Corbyn and Mr Cameron were joined by Commons Speaker John Bercow and Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn as they laid flowers in the market square.

(Image: Reuters)

Scores of onlookers gathered as the pair approached an already weighty collection of floral tributes.

One by one they stepped forward, bowed their heads in silent tribute and stepped back in silence.

The Prime Minister said: "I first met Jo in Darfur in 2006 where she was doing what she was brilliant at, saving the lives of vulnerable refugees.

"Two children have lost their mother, a husband has lost a loving wife and Parliament has lost one of its most passionate and valuable campaigners.

(Image: PA)

"It is a moment to step back and think about some of the things that are most important about our democracy."

Mr Cameron said it was vital that MPs remained "available to the public" and that was what Mrs Cox was - "she died doing her job".

He added: "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.

(Image: Reuters)

"Politicians disagree with each other, we often disregard what politicians say and we disregard each other and the rest of it but at the end of the day that's what it is about and what Jo showed it is about.

"But perhaps most important of all, we should value the democracy that we have on these islands, where 65million of us live together and work together and get on together."

Jeremy Corbyn left a touching note for Mrs Cox which said: "In loving memory of a wonderful, passionate and committed woman.

"Her life was dedicated to justice and human rights, and proud to represent Batley and Spen."

(Image: Reuters)

Mr Corbyn said it was vital to ensure MPs and "our whole society" are safe.

He said: "Jo was brutally murdered here 24 hours ago in this town, a town she loved, a town she grew up in.

"She was taken from us in an act of hatred, in a vile act that has killed her.

"It's an attack on democracy what happened yesterday. It's the well of hatred that killed her."

(Image: PA)

He praised Mrs Cox's husband's powerful statement saying Brits could conquer hatred with love and respect.

And he poured out his heart to her children who will never know their mother.

"They will only be able to grow up knowing what she was, what she stood for and what she achieved," he said.

"She is a truly wonderful woman. I'm deeply sorry, deeply saddened for what has happened to her."

(Image: Reuters)

Speaker John Bercow condemned the "despicable and appalling act".

He added: "I think everybody is united in grief, in horror and in overpowering respect for someone we came to know, whose talents we admired, whose passion we observed on a daily basis.

"Evil cannot be allowed and will not be allowed to triumph over good."

Earlier the Tories confirmed they will give Labour a free run at the by-election to replace Mrs Cox in a move not seen in living memory.

(Image: Reuters)

When Tory Ian Gow was killed by an IRA bomb in 1990 - the last MP to be murdered - his Eastbourne seat was contested and the Lib Dems gained it.

A Conservative spokesman said: “Following the tragic killing of Labour MP Jo Cox, the Conservative Party has decided not to contest the forthcoming by-election as a mark of respect to a much-loved and respected politician.”

The move was praised by MPs, many of whom have appeared emotionally in public after the murder.

Labour MPs Rachel Reeves and Lucy Powell were both tearful as they paid tribute to Mrs Cox in Birstall today.

(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty)

The attack has also prompted fears for MPs' security.

Today it emerged Jo Cox reported 'malicious' messages to police just 3 months before her murder and her security was being reviewed.

Police say they cautioned a man for sending messages to the fallen MP after she reported them earlier this year.

In a separate turn of events, security was being reviewed at the mum-of-two's London houseboat after its unusual location was widely publicised, the Mirror understands.

Neither of the incidents are linked to yesterday's brutal attack on the former foreign aid chief - but they show the threats and worry faced daily by MPs.

MPs have been officially warned to review their personal security after the first murder of one of their number for 26 years.

Official advice was circulated from the Parliamentary authorities telling members to contact police, end 'just turn up' surgeries like Ms Cox held or check security at events in advance if they are worried.

David Cameron's full speech in Birstall

"I first met Jo in Darfur in 2006, when she was doing what she was brilliant at – which was looking after, saving the lives of vulnerable refugees. And here we are today commemorating her life that has been lost. And of course the most profound thing that's happened is that two children have lost their mother; a a husband has lost a loving wife; and of course Parliament has lost one of its most passionate and brilliant campaigners. Someone who epitomised the fact that politics is about serving others.

"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. And that's how Jo died. She died doing her job.

"I think the second thing is that 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.

"Politicians disagree with each other, we often disregard what politicians say and we disregard each other and the rest of it but at the end of the day that's what it is about and what Jo showed it is about.

"But perhaps most important of all, we should value the democracy that we have on these islands, where 65million of us live together and work together and get on together.

“We do have peace, we do have stability, we do have a measure of economic well-being, better than other countries. Obviously still to be spread far more widely. And it is all underpinned by tolerance. So where we see hatred, where we find division, where we see intolerance, we must drive it out of our politics and our public life and out of our communities.

"And if we truly want to honour Jo then what we should do is recognise that her values, service, community, tolerance, the values she lived by and worked by, those are the values that we need to redouble in our national life in the months and the years to come."