The killing of Jo Cox: What it means for politics in Britain
17 June
Parliament will be recalled next week to give politicians the chance to pay tribute to Labour MP Jo Cox, who died after being shot and stabbed on the streets of Birstall in West Yorkshire yesterday.
With the politicians, the press and the public still struggling to come to terms with the horrific attack, the mood in Westminster and across the UK is sombre.
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"I cannot recall ever feeling worse about this country and its politics than is the case right now," Alex Massie writes in The Spectator.
The tragic death of one of Westminster's rising stars, who was killed minutes before meeting with her local constituents, has also raised a number of serious questions about Britain's political future.
This attack cannot be viewed in isolation, argues The Guardian's Polly Toynbee. "It occurs against a backdrop of an ugly public mood in which we have been told to despise the political class, to distrust those who serve, to dehumanise those with whom we do not readily identify."
How might it affect politics in general?
The shock at the killing has begun to give way to reflection and soul-searching about how we conduct our politics, political editor Jason Beattie writes in the Daily Mirror. "When robbed of someone of such quiet dignity and purpose it causes you to consider how you stand in comparison," he says.
"The decline in our political discourse is not down to one party or individual but a collective failure." It is up to everyone – politicians and political journalists alike – to be better and do better, says Beattie.
Similar sentiments were expressed by both David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn as they laid flowers in Cox's West Yorkshire constituency this afternoon. "A well of hatred killed Jo Cox," the Labour leader said. "We will not allow those people who spread hatred and poison to divide our society."
How will it affect EU referendum campaigning?
Campaigning on both sides of the debate was immediately suspended as a mark of respect for Cox and her family and it remains unclear when it will resume. With the vote now just days away, the death of the passionate and outspoken Remain campaigner has cast a dark shadow over the entire referendum.
Unconfirmed reports that the attacker shouted "Britain First" have led commentators to call for an urgent end to the inflammatory and divisive rhetoric that has dogged the campaign since its inception.
"When you encourage rage you cannot then feign surprise when people become enraged," says Massie. "You cannot turn around and say, 'Mate, you weren't supposed to take it so seriously. It's just a game, just a ploy, a strategy for winning votes.'"
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a similar point today, urging politicians to moderate the language used in the final days of the campaign. "Otherwise the radicalisation will become unstoppable," she warned.
What next?
Concerns have been raised about the level of security at surgeries, where constituents are free to approach their MPs on a weekly basis to air local grievances or seek advice. These meetings, held in town halls, libraries and schools across the country, are vital pillars of British democracy.
"But this intimacy comes at the expense of security," says the Daily Telegraph's Fraser Nelson. "This is the conundrum facing much of Western politics: the trade-off between accessibility and vulnerability."
In an act of defiance, many politicians have continued to hold their constituency surgeries today. "I know MPs are scared," Labour MP Dan Jarvis told Sky News. "We'll be reviewing our security, but I'll walk through Barnsley today like every Friday."
His views were echoed by fellow Labour MP Rachel Reeves. "The actions of one individual, however violent and extreme they are, mustn't drive a wedge between MPs and their constituents," she said.
"I am also determined, and I know that Jo would want this, that we continue to do the work that we were elected by our constituents to do and that is to serve them," Reeves added.
Tributes flow in for murdered MP Jo Cox
17 June
Flags at Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and across Whitehall and Westminster will fly at half-mast today in tribute to Labour MP Jo Cox, who died yesterday after being shot three times in Birstall, West Yorkshire.
Warm words have flowed in from around the country and from both sides of the political divide.
"Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy and a zest for life that would exhaust most people," her husband said last night.
Prime Minister David Cameron described her as "a great campaigning MP with huge compassion and a big heart". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said "the whole country is in shock and grief".
He added: "She died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening to and representing the people she was elected to serve."
Cox, who became an MP last year, had "made a name for herself in parliament as a passionate and kind MP who campaigned for the government to accept more child refugees from Syria", says The Times. "The day before the murder, Mrs Cox had been with her husband and children campaigning for the Remain campaign on a flotilla on the Thames."
Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, who worked with Cox on Syria, described her as a "five foot bundle of Yorkshire grit".
The Daily Telegraph journalist Michael Deacon says the murder should change the way we think about politicians.
"To be an MP is brave," he says. "I – like the rest of us – should say it more often. As a rule, MPs are decent people with honourable motives."
Global tributes
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton released a statement saying she had been horrified by the killing.
"It is cruel and terrible that her life was cut short by a violent act of political intolerance… We must honour Jo Cox by rejecting bigotry in all its forms and instead, embracing, as she always did, everything that binds us together," she said.
Tributes were also offered by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, EU Council President Donald Tusk and the Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull.
Infographic provided by Statista for TheWeek.co.uk
MP Jo Cox dies after shooting near Leeds
16 June
Labour politician Jo Cox has died in hospital after being shot and stabbed in Birstall, West Yorkshire.
The MP for Batley and Spen was attacked at a constituency surgery in the market town this afternoon. She was taken to Leeds General Hospital but at 5.15pm, police reported she had died of her injuries.
Witnesses say the 41-year old mother of two was left lying in a pool of blood on the street shortly after 1pm this afternoon.
Police have confirmed that a 52-year old man has been arrested in connection with the attack. They are not looking for anyone else.
Another man, aged 77, was slightly injured after being stabbed.
There are conflicting reports over whether the MP was deliberately targeted.
One witness told the Press Association: "There was a guy who was being very brave and another guy with a white baseball cap who he was trying to control and the man in the baseball cap suddenly pulled a gun from his bag."
"He was fighting with her and wrestling with her and then the gun went off twice and then she fell between two cars and I came and saw her bleeding on the floor," said the witness.
Another said the attacker had focussed on her. "He shot this lady and then shot her again," he told the BBC.
"He lent down. Someone was wrestling with him and he was wielding a knife and lunging at her. Three times she was shot."
Police are investigating reports the suspect shouted: "Britain First", The Guardian says, "a possible reference to the far-right political party".
The BBC broadcast this picture, which is believed to show the moment the suspect was arrested.
Nearby schools have been put on lockdown and armed police are patrolling the area and the hospital in Leeds. Local MPs are considering closing their offices as a precaution.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has led the politicians expressing shock and sadness at the attack, sending well wishes to the MP and her family on social media.
Labour MP John Mann described the former aid worker, who was elected to parliament last year, as "one of the real stars of the new intake, not just on the Labour side, but all sides".
"She's hardworking, she's eloquent, everyone likes her," he told the BBC.
His thoughts were echoed by fellow party MP Jack Dromey, who described Cox as "the nicest, most decent women" ever to enter parliament.
Cox championed the rights of civilians caught up in the Syrian civil war and was a prominent campaigner for Britain to remain in the EU.
Campaigning has been suspended as a result of the attack and Prime Minister David Cameron has cancelled plans to attend a rally in Gibraltar.
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