The family of Labour MP Jo Cox were joined by Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and singer Lily Allen for a memorial in London last night.
Trafalgar Square was packed for the event to mark what would have been the mother-of-two’s 42nd birthday.
Remarkably, yesterday was also the 78th birthday of Bernard Kenny, the pensioner who tried to save Mrs Cox after she was shot and stabbed in the street last week.
As well as the London tribute, commemorations were held in her Batley and Spen constituency, Edinburgh, Brussels and New York.
The former was marred by two planes carrying a Vote Leave banner which flew over the square twice during the memorial to the Remain campaigner.
A Vote Leave spokesman said it had “nothing to do with” the official campaign and pointed out its merchandise was readily available.
At the start of proceedings, 42 white roses were laid on the stage by representatives from different faiths.
Ms Allen then performed Somewhere Only We Know, a song the Cox family sang whenever they left their holiday cottage on the River Wye.
Paying tribute to his late wife, Brendan Cox told the huge crowd: “When she saw pain she wanted to do all she could to alleviate it.
“She lived life to the full with the pedal to the floor and no brake pads.”
Ms Yousafzai said being small was something she had in common with Mrs Cox, who she described as a “modern-day suffragette”.
She added: “She showed us all that you can be small and still be a giant.
“When my family needed a haven, this country’s arms were open. Jo’s arms were open to the world. She embodied all that is best about this country.”
There was also a minute’s silence and readings by actors Gillian Anderson and Bill Nighy, as well as a video from the White Helmets, volunteer search and rescue workers in Syria.
Children from Mrs Cox’s son Cuillin’s school performed civil rights anthem If I Had a Hammer and alumni of the West End cast of Les Miserables gave a rendition of Do You Hear The People Sing?
Among those attending the event was Katy Woods from St Andrews, who worked with Mrs Cox for three years.
The pair met through the White Ribbon Alliance, which campaigns for the right to a safe birth for every woman, everywhere.
She said: “I will remember her incredibly infectious smile that made you want to smile back and get involved with what Jo did. She always put other people first.”
