A British lawmaker and Labour Party MP JO Cox died after a shocking daylight street attack, effectively throwing all campaigning for the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union into disarray just a week before the crucial vote.
Jo Cox, a 41-year-old mother-of-two from the opposition Labour Party, was left bleeding on the pavement after reportedly being shot and stabbed in the village of Birstall in northern England, according to witnesses quoted by local media.
Born: 22 June 1974
Died: 16 June 2016 (aged 41)
Constituency: Labour MP for Batley & Spen since 2015
From: West Yorkshire
Education: Cambridge University. She was the first in her family to graduate from university
Family: Husband Brendan Cox and two children
Parliamentary interests:
Foreign policy, international development, early years education, social isolation and regional devolution
Early career
Spent a decade working in a variety of roles with aid agency Oxfam before working as an advisor to Sarah Brown. Prior to standing for Parliament she worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Freedom Fund.
Murder
On 16 June 2016, Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in Birstall, West Yorkshire, where she had been holding a surgery with her constituents. She subsequently died of her injuries. Paying tribute, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, “We have lost a much-loved colleague, a real talent and a dedicated campaigner for social justice and peace.