Boris Johnson has responded to concerns from MPs, mostly female, who have reported death threats against them and their family to police.
They urged the prime minister and others to change their choice of language when talking about people who disagreed with them.
Mr Johnson told Nina Warhurst he “deplores threats to anybody, particularly female MPs” but did not apologise for his use of language.
During an ill-tempered debate on Wednesday, Mr Johnson was repeatedly challenged by opposition MPs over his use of the term “surrender bill” to describe legislation passed earlier this month, which aims to block a no-deal Brexit on 31 October if he fails to come up with a new exit deal with the EU before 19 October.
Anna Soubry said there was evidence that there were direct consequences to words like “surrender”, “capitulation”, “traitor” and “treason”.
Mr Johnson dismissed one MP’s intervention, in which she both criticised his use of language and mentioned the killing of Ms Cox, as “humbug”.
Ms Cox, who supported Remain during the referendum campaign, died in 2016 after she was shot and stabbed in Birstall, West Yorkshire.