British Labour MP Jo Cox attacked and killed, man arrested

Labour MP Jo Cox, 41, was allegedly shot and stabbed by a man reportedly yelling “put Britain first”.

Labour MP Jo Cox. Picture: Twitter

A week out from the European Union referendum, a British Labour politician has been murdered after being shot and stabbed in a frenzy by a man reportedly yelling “put Britain first”.

Jo Cox, 41, a pro-Remain supporter and chair of the parliamentary Friends of Syria group and mother of two, was stabbed with a large knife and shot three times at close range allegedly fired by a 53-year-old man named locally as a loner, gardener Tommy Mair.

RECAP

• Pro-EU British Labour MP and mother-of-two Jo Cox shot and stabbed in her constituency.

• A man allegedly shouted ‘put Britain first’ before attacking the 41-year-old mother-of-two.

• A 52-year-old man has been arrested and a firearm had been recovered from the scene.

• The suspect has been described as a loner with mental health issues.

• Campaigning for the referendum on Britain’s membership in the bloc has been halted just a week before the crucial vote.

• PM Malcolm Turnbull says he is deeply shocked as tributes pur in from around the world.

HOW THE DAY UNFOLDED

10.40am:Callous UK markets rally

The attack had halted a frantic day of campaigning, as two new opinion polls indicated that more Britons now want to leave the EU than want to stay.

James Mackintosh, in the Wall Street Journal, writes about the impact the tragedy had on the ‘amoral’ markets HERE.

10.20am:‘Resolve debate at ballot box’

Malcolm Turnbull says it is important for a democracy to have robust debate involving the expression of “strong views” but says arguments should be resolved peacefully at the ballot box, writes Joe Kelly.

Speaking after the slaying of Cox, the Prime Minister said the AFP had paid “very close regard” to the security of Australian politicians.

“Can I just say the murder of Jo Cox is a shocking one. I was deeply shocked by it,” he told Melbourne’s 3AW radio. “We’ve had very few incidents of political violence. And this is a very disturbing incident and it’s a reminder again how important it is that we are able to discuss matters, debate matters strongly and forcefully and have strong views. But always resolve them democratically through the ballot box.”

10am:‘A force of nature’

Jo Cox had only been a member of parliament for just over a year, but with her warmth, her sincerity and her humanity she had in that short time already made her mark, writes Lucy Fisher.

‘She may have died a victim of hatred, but in her life she represented the best of what people had to offer: she was genuine, inspiring and with a steely commitment that belied her tiny stature. In the words of her fellow Yorkshire MP Sarah Champion, she was “a lion”.’ Read the full profile HERE.

9.45am:MP had faced security threats

The Times reports that police were poised to put extra security in place for Jo Cox.

Cox had been harassed in a stream of messages over three months. Additional security was being considered at her constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, where the attack took place, as well as at her houseboat in London. There is no known link between the messages and yesterday’s attack. You can read the full report HERE.

People sign messages of condolence for MP Jo Cox during a vigil in Parliament Square. Picture: Getty

9.30am:British press round-up

Tributes to Jo Cox dominate #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/sjMvZ1MekW

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) June 16, 2016

9.20am:Politician breaks down in tribute

Canadian member of parliament Nathan Cullen fought back tears during a touching tribute to the life of Jo Cox in Canada’s House of Commons.

9.10am:Alleged attacker a ‘loner’

The alleged attacker was named by British media as local man Tommy Mair, described by neighbours as a “loner”.

His brother, Scott Mair, told the Daily Telegraph in the UK that Tommy had suffered from mental illness but received treatment.

“I am struggling to believe what has happened. My brother is not violent and is not all that political,” Scott Mair said. “He has a history of mental illness, but he has had help.”

8.55am:Watch: Cox campaigns to help refugees

Fatima Ibrahim, a 23-year-old campaigner with human rights group Avaaz, which helped organise a vigil outside parliament, told AFP she was “devastated”.

She was a fearless campaigner, and a voice for the voiceless. We feel shaken by her loss, but committed to meeting the hatred that killed her with love.” “We feel shaken by her loss,” she said. Cox worked for charity group Oxfam before becoming a politician in 2015, and several at the vigil recalled her tireless campaigning to help refugees from Syria. In this video, Cox speaks on the crisis in Aleppo in Syria, and calls for a no-fly zone and airdrops to besieged areas of the city.

8.45am:Rising star, wife and mother

Former US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, says she and her husband are grieving over the British Parliament member who was shot and stabbed to death on Thursday. Giffords, who was critically injured by a gunshot wound to her head while meeting with constituents, praised Jo Cox as “courageous, young and a hard-working public servant. She was a rising star, a mother and a wife.”

Absolutely sickened to hear of the assassination of Jo Cox. She was young, courageous, and hardworking. A rising star, mother, and wife.

— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) June 16, 2016

8.30am:‘Hate crime’

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he was deeply shocked by Ms Cox’s death.

“Our condolences, prayers and solidarity are with her family & the people of the UK,” he tweeted. Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese described it as a hate crime. “And occasionally, you know, you do get concerned about the approach that some people have.”

Deeply shocked by the murder of UK MP Jo Cox. Our condolences, prayers and solidarity are with her family & the people of the UK.

— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) June 16, 2016

8.15am:‘MPs shouldn’t hide away’

Australian politicans have been reacting to the murder of a British MP overnight.

Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne believes MPs should not hide in their shells or stop meeting constituents in the wake of a British MP’s death. “It is important ... that we don’t change the way we behave,” he told the Nine Network. “It just really underlines how careful we all have to be.”

People lay floral tributes in Market Square in memory of Jo Cox, 41, Labour MP for Batley and Spen. Picture: Getty

8.10am:Cameron cancels trip

British Prime Minister David Cameron says he has cancelled a planned pro-European Union speech in Gibraltar. Groups on both sides of the British EU referendum have suspended their campaigns after the shooting of a British lawmaker.

The death of Jo Cox is a tragedy. She was a committed and caring MP. My thoughts are with her husband Brendan and her two young children.

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) June 16, 2016

British MP Jo Cox was killed by a man yelling ‘Britain First’.

Both the Leave and Remain camps immediately suspended campaigning for the June 23 referendum and politicians from across the political and referendum spectrum expressed their shock. It is uncertain whether the political assassination will now cause the postponement of Thursday’s referendum.

Tommy Mair. Picture: Snapper Media

Mr Cox tweeted a photo of his wife immediately after the attack. He said “She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now, one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her. Hate doesn’t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous.’’

A police forensic officer at the scene of the attack.

Eyewitnesses described the gunman as using a home-made, old-style weapon after waiting for Mrs Cox in the West Yorkshire town of Birstall.

One witness to the murder claimed the attacker yelled out “Britain First”.

Mrs Cox had publicly promoted for Britain to remain in the EU and had been critical of the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for not pushing the Remain arguments forcefully enough.

A man is detained near the scene of the attack. Picture: Snapchat

Mrs Cox was married to Brendan Cox, an adviser to the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and had two children.

A former aid worker, she had immediately established the Friends of Syria group after having been elected in last year’s General Election and was well liked by politicians from all parties. She had refused to support the government’s vote on Syrian air strikes.

On Wednesday she had campaigned for the Remain camp on the Thames and tweeted a photo of herself with Brendan and her young children Lejla and Cuillin.

My hubby @MrBrendanCox & children taking part in the battle of the #Thames - because we're #StrongerIn #Remain pic.twitter.com/6JNMnQ4Zfg

— Jo Cox MP (@Jo_Cox1) June 15, 2016

Fellow politicians were distraught. Jess Phillips said simply: ‘’My heart is broken. She was amazing a brave giant who stood against bullies.’’

This morning Mr Corbyn led tributes to Mrs Cox:

The whole of the Labour family, and indeed the whole country, is in shock and grief at the horrific murder of Jo Cox pic.twitter.com/obic5pOCS3

— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) June 16, 2016

The Prime Minister David Cameron said the death was a tragedy. The former deputy prime minister, Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg said while the violence against Cox was the most important thing, it was also a vile affront to British democracy.

Acting Chief Constable Dee Collins said the police believe the attacker was a “lone gunman”

“The most important fact here at the moment is that we have one male under arrest.”Ms Collins said.

Another man, aged 77 was also injured in the attack but his wounds are not life threatening.

Ms Cox was attacked just outside the Birstall town library, near Leeds, where she holds regular meetings for local constituents at 12.53pm.

A witness and local cafe owner Clarke Rothwell told the BBC he heard a “loud popping noise that sounded like a balloon burst - a loud balloon”.

“When I looked round there’s a man stood there in his 50s with a white baseball cap on and a jacket with a gun, an old fashioned looking gun in his hand,” he said.

“He shot this lady once and then he shot her again, he fell to the floor, leant over shot her once more in the face area.

“Somebody tried to grab him, wrestling with him and then he wielded a knife, like a hunting knife, just started lunging at her with a knife half a dozen times. People were screaming and running from the area”.

A witness told Sky News: “I heard the first shot and ran away, as everyone else did. Then we heard the second shot.”

Hicham Abdallah told the network that Ms Cox was shot from between two cars.

“It looked like a gun from, I don’t know, the First World War or a makeshift, handmade gun. It’s not sort of like the kind of gun you see normally,’’ he said.

Mrs Cox had grown up in Heckmondwike, near Birstall and divided her time between the town and a barge on The Thames.