British Labour MP shot dead in constituency

BIRSTALL: British politician and Labour MP Jo Cox has died after being attacked in a local constituency, police have confirmed, drawing to a halt immense campaigning over the country’s future in the European Union (EU).

Cox, an outspoken Remain campaigner, was reportedly shot and stabbed during a regular public meeting with constituents in Birstall, near Leeds in northern England on Thursday. A man nearby also sustained mild injuries, police said, adding that more officers have been deployed in the area to control the situation.

A 52-year-old man had been arrested by West Yorkshire Police in connection to the attack. Cox was trying to intervene in a scuffle between two men, one of whom pulled a gun and fired twice, one witness told Sky News.

A 41-year-old mother of two and a Cambridge University graduate, Cox became a Parliament member in May 2015, representing Batley and Spen in Yorkshire. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn took to his Twitter after the attack, saying, “[I’m] utterly shocked by the news of the attack on Jo Cox. The thoughts of the whole Labour Party are with her and her family at this time.”