UK MP Jo Cox dies after brutal attack
British politician and Labour MP Jo Cox has died after being attacked in a local constituency, police have confirmed, drawing to a halt immense campaigning over the country’s future in the European Union (EU).
Cox, an outspoken Remain campaigner, was reportedly shot and stabbed during a regular public meeting with constituents in Birstall, near Leeds in northern England on Thursday.
A man nearby also sustained mild injuries, police said, adding that more officers have been deployed in the area to control the situation.
A 52-year-old man had been arrested by West Yorkshire Police in connection to the attack.
Cox was trying to intervene in a scuffle between two men, one of whom pulled a gun and fired twice, one witness told Sky News.
A 41-year-old mother of two and a Cambridge University graduate, Cox became a Parliament member in May 2015, representing Batley and Spen in Yorkshire.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn took to his Twitter after the attack, saying, “[I’m] utterly shocked by the news of the attack on Jo Cox. The thoughts of the whole Labour Party are with her and her family at this time.”
UK Prime Minister David Cameron also posted a similar tweet, wishing her family well.
She was described by fellow Labour MP Mike Gapes as “one of the most effective of the newly elected Labour MPs last year."
Brexit campaigning suspended
In sympathy with Cox, both “Leave” and “Remain” campaigns, who will decide UK’s membership in the EU in a referendum on June 23, said they were suspending their operations in the wake of the attack.
Cameron canceled a Thursday night rally in Gibraltar, while the “Stronger In” campaign halted all activities for the day.
The Vote Leave also halted its plans on Thursday, announcing the return of its campaign bus to London.
The last attack on a British lawmaker took place in 2010, when Labour MP and former minister Stephen Timms was stabbed at his office in London. The assailant, a 21-year-old student, was angry over his backing for the Iraq war.
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