Jo Cox

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Jo Cox MP      (politician)
Born	Helen Joanne Leadbeater 22 June 1974 Batley, West Yorkshire, England
Died	16 June 2016 (Age 41) Birstall, West Yorkshire, England
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Pembroke College (Cambridge), London School of Economics
Children	2
Spouse	Brendan Cox
Member of	WEF/Young Global Leaders/2009
Victim of	murder
Party	Labour
Subpage	•Jo Cox/Murder
Jo Cox was a UK politician murdered in the run up to the 2016 EU Referendum. Echoing the assassination of Sweden's Anna Lindh, the event appears not to have greatly influenced the outcome, and was officially carried out by a "lone nut".  Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen In office 8 May 2015 - 16 June 2016 Preceded by Nick Harvey, John Thurso

Helen Joanne "Jo" Cox was a UK Labour Party politician. Jo Cox was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Batley and Spen from the May 2015 General Election until she was brutally murdered on 16 June 2016.

On 17 June 2016, David Cameron paid tribute to MP Jo Cox, calling her "one of our most compassionate campaigners". Speaking alongside the prime minister in Mrs Cox's West Yorkshire constituency, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn labelled her death "an attack on democracy" and announced that Parliament would be recalled on Monday 20 June 2016.

In his first interview (with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg) following the MP's murder, Brendan Cox said she was killed because of her "very strong political views."

Murder

Full article: Jo Cox/Murder

On 16 June 2016, Jo Cox MP was shot and stabbed multiple times outside the public library in Birstall, West Yorkshire, where she was due to hold a surgery with her constituents. She was left in a critical condition and died from her injuries approximately an hour later. A 52-year-old man, identified by the Daily Telegraph and The Independent as Thomas "Tommy" Mair, was arrested and charged with her murder, reportedly giving his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain" when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 18 June 2016.

Israel critic

Free Speech on Israel (Jews & friends who say anti-zionism is NOT antisemitism) wrote this tribute:

We share the widespread sadness and anger at what appears to be the assassination of Jo Cox MP by a right wing terrorist, and want to express our condolences to her husband Brendan, her children Lejla and Cuillin and her many friends.

The Electronic Intifada, the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) have all published tributes to Cox who was an outspoken advocate for Syrian and Palestinian human rights.

Last year she put down an EDM on Gaza to mark the first anniversary of the 2014 bombing, and she called the Conservative government’s legal threats to curtail the boycott of Israel "a gross attack on democratic freedoms. It is our right to boycott unethical companies.”

By-election

On 12 September 2016, the Labour Party emailed a timetable for the selection of a candidate to replace Jo Cox:

"Following the very sad and untimely passing of Jo Cox MP, the Labour Party has now agreed a timetable to select a candidate for the by-election which will be held in due course.

"All members of the Labour Party who have been a member for at least 12 months prior to 16 June 2016, the date of Jo's death, may submit an application.

"You can download an application form here (you will need to log in to membersnet). Completed applications should be sent to batley@labour.org.uk by 12 noon on Friday 16 September. This deadline will be strictly adhered to.

"Candidates selected for interview will have to attend that interview in London on Monday 19 September. Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to a hustings meeting on the evening of Friday 23 September in the constituency, where local members will select their candidate."

On 16 September 2016, Helle Thorning-Schmidt (aka Mrs Stephen Kinnock) was reported to have applied to Batley and Spen CLP to be selected as candidate to succeed the murdered MP in the forthcoming by-election.

The following week, it was announced that the by-election would take place on 20 October 2016 and that former soap-actress Tracy Brabin had been selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate.

The Conservative Party, followed by the Liberal Democrats, UK Independence Party and the Green Party, stated that as a mark of respect they would not contest the by-election.

Tracy Brabin held the seat for Labour with 17,506 votes (85.8%). However, turnout for the by-election was only 20,567 (25.8%) - one of the lowest by-election turnouts since the Second World War. All other candidates polled less than 5% of the vote and lost their deposits. Brabin was heckled by some of the other candidates as she delivered her speech at the declaration of the result.

Family

Jo Cox MP was married to Brendan Cox, who was an adviser on international development to Gordon Brown during the latter's premiership. Jo Cox, a former aide to Brown’s wife Sarah, headed the Labour Women’s Network where she was ‘equalities and discrimination’ adviser.

The Cox family divided their time between a constituency home and a houseboat on the River Thames, moored near Tower Bridge, London.

The London School of Economics posted this tribute on their Facebook page:

"LSE is greatly saddened to learn of the death of Jo Cox MP who studied at our LSE European Institute in the late 1990s. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her husband Brendan, who is an alumnus of the LSE Department of Government, their children, wider family and friends."

Her sister Kim Leadbeater won the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election.

External links

• Jo Cox false flag conspiracy
• Petition to cancel EU referendum surges in wake of Jo Cox killing

 

Related Documents

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