The extraordinary claim from the Prime Minister evoked gasps from both sides of the House of Commons. It came after Labour MP Paula Sherriff made an impassioned plea to the Prime Minister not to use the term “Surrender Act” to describe legislation designed to prevent ministers forcing though a no deal Brexit on October 31. She claimed Mr Johnson should be “ashamed” to use such language after the murder of her colleague and in light of regular death threats and abuse received by MPs.

Mr Johnson claimed he had “never heard such humbug in all his life”, claiming the best way to honour Ms Cox would be to get Brexit done.

Ms Cox’s husband, Brendan Cox, wrote on Twitter: “Feel a bit sick at Jo’s name being used in this way.

“The best way to honour Jo is for all of us (no matter our views) to stand up for what we believe in, passionately and with determination.

“But never to demonise the other side and always hold onto what we have in common.”

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He added: “Just to reiterate this is about the role we all play. Just as ‘surrender’ & ‘betrayal’ is inflammatory language, so is ‘coup’ and ‘fascist’.

“Let’s all play our part in dialling it down.”

Ms Cox was shot and stabbed by far-right extremist Thomas Mair in her Yorkshire constituency in 2016 during the EU referendum campaign.

Labour’s Tracy Brabin, who was elected into Ms Cox’s Batley and Spen seat after her murder, also called for Mr Johnson to moderate his language.

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She added: “We should not resort to using offensive, dangerous or inflammatory language for legislation that we do not like and we stand here under the shield of our departed friend with many of us in this place subject to death threats and abuse every single day.

“And let me tell the Prime Minister that they often quote his words Surrender Act, betrayal, traitor, and I for one am sick of it. We must moderate our language and it has to come from the Prime Minister first.”

She added: “He should be absolutely ashamed of himself.”

Ms Sheriff’s words prompted applause from the opposition benches.

Mr Johnson said: ‘I have to say Mr Speaker I’ve never heard such humbug in all my life.’

As the PM was heckled, Speaker John Bercow intervened to say: “I appeal to the House as a whole to debate these issues calmly.”

Mr Johnson said he agreed that tempers have become “very ragged” across the country.

He said the best way to bring people together is to “get Brexit done”.

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