Late Jo Cox
Late Jo Cox

A 41 year old British Member of Parliament, Jo Cox was killed in broad daylight today while interacting with her constituents in West Yorkshire. The youthful woman who represented Batley and Spen was of the Labour Party and she became a parliamentarian in May last year.

Mrs Cox is believed to have been killed by a man. An eye witness said she was stabbed with a  long knife for up to six times and as she struggled on the ground, the attacker shot and kicked her severally.

Jo Cox was a strong campaigner on the Remain side of the Brexit debate which is on whether or not Britain remains a member of the European Union. The referendum comes up next week. Following the killing, both Remain and Leave sides suspended campaigning on Brexit. It is however yet to be ascertained if her killing had to do with her position on Brexit.

Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn is one of the several politicians who have reacted to her death. Describing the killing as a “horrific murder,” he said: “Jo died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening to and representing the people she was elected to serve. In the coming days there will be questions to answer about how and why she died. But for now all our thoughts are with Jo’s husband Brendan and their two young children. They will grow up without their mum, but can be immensely proud of what she did, what she achieved and what she stood for.”

British Prime Minister, David Cameron said on Twitter: “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.”

Jo’s husband, Brendan said, after the wife’s death, things will no longer be the same for him and their two children. However, he would want people to ‘unite to fight against the hatred that killed her.”

Jo Cox was a first-term lawmaker who was elected in 2015. Born in Batley, she was educated at Heckmondwike Grammar School and Cambridge University where she graduated in 1995.

She worked as Head of Policy at Oxfam and also as adviser to Sarah Brown and Baroness Kinnock.