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Labour MP Jo Cox shot - live updates Labour MP Jo Cox shot in West Yorkshire - latest updates
(35 minutes later)
2.44pm BST
14:44
These are from the BBC’s Phil Bodmer.
Wide police cordon in ace in #Birstall after MP Jo Cox shot at during weekly surgery, 1 man arrested @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/LOkKpw7tW0
#Breaking; Scene at #Birstall after MP Jo Cox shot pic.twitter.com/vjbvwAAmeF
2.40pm BST
14:40
Jo Cox is married to Brendan Cox, a former Save the Children executive and special adviser to Gordon Brown.
2.37pm BST
14:37
A Labour party spokesman said:
We’re aware of the incident that happened this afternoon. All our thoughts are with Jo Cox and her family. We cannot give any further updates at this time.
2.35pm BST
14:35
Robert Booth
The shopkeeper in a greengrocer opposite Birstall Library, Golden D’Licious, said that he believed the attacker had been waiting for the MP outside the library.
“I was inside the shop and all I heard was a scream and then the gun shot,” he said, without giving his name. “I went out and everyone was dispersing. I couldn’t see because it happened behind a car.”
2.33pm BST
14:33
This is from Maria Eagle, the Labour MP and shadow culture secretary.
.@Jo_Cox1 attacker shouted "Britain First" says eyewitness. https://t.co/lakL7V1igR
2.31pm BST
14:31
Robert Booth
According to a Labour source, Cox was shot and stabbed after she had conducted her morning surgery for constituents. Another person, who has not been identified, was also injured and both were taken to hospital, the source said. The attack was said to have taken place sometime after 1pm.
2.30pm BST
14:30
Police say 52-year-old man arrested in connection with the incident
Here is the statement from West Yorkshire police in full.
At 12.53 today, police were called to a report of an incident on Market Street, Birstall, where a woman in her 40s had suffered serious injuries and is in a critical condition.
A man in his late 40s to early 50s nearby also suffered slight injuries.
Armed officers attended and a 52-year-old man was arrested in the area. There are no further details at present.
Police presence in the area has been increased as a reassurance to the community.
Updated
at 2.40pm BST
2.28pm BST
14:28
According to the BBC, a man aged 52 has been arrested in connection with the incident.
2.27pm BST
14:27
And this is from the Labour mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Shocked to hear terrible news about brilliant MP and friend Jo Cox. Thinking of her and praying for her and family.
2.27pm BST
14:27
David Cameron has joined the many MPs who have already used Twitter to show their support for Cox.
Very concerned about reports Jo Cox has been injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jo and her family.
2.26pm BST
14:26
More on the shooting from Sky.
Here's what we know so far about the shooting of Labour MP Jo Cox in Birstall https://t.co/A5zwPZtsol pic.twitter.com/NpastUBFH1
2.25pm BST
14:25
This is from Cathy Killick, a reporter for BBC Look North.
Scene in #birstall after reported shooting of MP Jo Cox. pic.twitter.com/gupG7rP6Eg
2.23pm BST
14:23
This is from Malik Walton, who, according to his Twitter profile, is a cameraman.
Armed police presence at a #Leeds hospital after a shooting in #Birstall involving #MP Jo Cox @BBCLookNorth pic.twitter.com/ul9LRioQLg
2.19pm BST
14:19
More from the Press Association.
Cox’s assistant confirmed she had been attacked and said he was trying to get more information from police at the scene.
2.19pm BST
14:19
This is from the Press Association.
Eyewitness Hithem Ben Abdallah, 56, was in the cafe next door to the library shortly after 1pm when he heard screaming and went outside.
He 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.”
After a brief scuffle, he said the man stepped back and the MP became involved.
He added: “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.”
After around 15 minutes, the shop owner said emergency services arrived and tended to her with a drip.
2.18pm BST
14:18
Jo Cox was elected to the Commons in 2015 as MP for Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire. Previously she had worked as head of policy for Oxfam. She nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership but, as with some other MPs, that was in the interest of allowing him to get on the ballot paper, not because she was a supporter. She voted for Liz Kendall.
A Cambridge graduate, she is 41 and married with two children.
Updated
at 2.41pm BST
2.11pm BST
14:11
This is what the Press Association has filed on the shooting.
Labour MP Jo Cox has been shot and injured in an attack in her constituency near Leeds.
An eyewitness said the 41-year-old mother of two was left lying bleeding on the pavement after the incident in Birstall, West Yorkshire.
The attack took place near the town’s library where she held advice surgeries.
Cox was elected to the seat of Batley and Spen at the last general election in 2015.
West Yorkshire Police said: “There is an ongoing incident in Birstall”, while Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it was “aware” of an incident but had no further information.
2.10pm BST
14:10
This is from Sky’s Kay Burley.
MP Jo Cox airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary. Condition said to be serious after shooting at her regular constituency surgery
2.08pm BST2.08pm BST
14:0814:08
Jo Cox has been taken by air ambulance to Leeds infirmary, the BBC is reporting.Jo Cox has been taken by air ambulance to Leeds infirmary, the BBC is reporting.
2.07pm BST
14:07
According to the BBC, a primary school is in lockdown and a gunman may be on the loose near the shooting at Birstall.
2.03pm BST
14:03
This is from the BBC’s Allie Hodgkins-Brown.
Office of Jo Cox MP confirms she has been injured in an attack at her office in Birstall Yorkshire
Unconfirmed reports suggest a man was stabbed - and Jo Cox MP shot and stabbed - via @timsmithyorks
2.00pm BST
14:00
Labour MP Jo Cox shot
The Press Association has just snapped this.
Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox has been shot in Birstall near Leeds, an eyewitness said.
1.51pm BST
13:51
Ukip poster condemned as 'immoral'
Britain Stronger in Europe has also condemned the Ukip poster. (See 12.01pm.) It has issued a news release with statements from MPs from four parties saying Ukip are wrong to exploit the refugee crisis in this way.
This is from Yvette Cooper, chair of Labour’s refugee taskforce.
Just when you thought leave campaigners couldn’t stoop any lower, they are now exploiting the misery of the Syrian refugee crisis in the most dishonest and immoral way.
Europe didn’t cause the Syrian refugee crisis and pulling out of the EU won’t stop people fleeing conflict and persecution by ISIS and the Assad regime.
All countries have a moral responsibility to help whether they are in the EU or not and the only way to deal with it is for countries to work together.
We rely on other EU countries doing asylum checks and coping with this crisis long before it ever reaches Britain’s shores - ripping up cooperation with the EU would make it much harder to stop the people smugglers, help refugees or prevent illegal migration. No country can cope with something like this alone.
The other statements, in a similar vein, are from the Green MP Caroline Lucas, the Lib Dem MP Tom Brake and the Conservative MP Neil Carmichael.
Updated
at 1.55pm BST
1.44pm BST
13:44
Green party condemns Ukip immigration poster as 'despicable'
The Green party has condemned the Ukip poster (see 12.01pm) as “despicable”. This is from the Green MEP Jean Lambert, the party’s migration spokeswoman and a Remain supporter.
This is a poster of shame from UKIP. Nigel Farage is deliberately confusing voluntary EU free movement with refugees fleeing from outside Europe – it’s despicable. The European Union is the best place for countries to act in solidarity and work together on solutions to shared challenges like the displacement of people. It is vital we don’t give in to this kind of fear and hate and that we vote to Remain in the EU.
1.41pm BST
13:41
Back to the Ukip poster. (See 12.01pm.) On Twitter Connor Beaton points out that the image is similar to one he’s seen on a Nazi propaganda video.
Your new poster resembles outright Nazi propaganda, @Nigel_Farage. Thanks to @brendanjharkin for pointing it out. pic.twitter.com/Rd89XZSvfD
1.37pm BST
13:37
And while we’re on the subject of trust, these figures are worth flagging up in the context of the latest warning from the Bank of England.
They show that, amongst Remain supporters, the Bank has a net trust rating of +34 (those who trust it minus those who don’t). But, amongst Leave supporters, its rating is -45.
Fascinating insight from @YouGov: Remain voters trust experts, Leave voters don't trust anyone. pic.twitter.com/qtfNguJ3Nr
1.33pm BST
13:33
Uh-oh. It turns out that, if David Cameron thought that wheeling out Jeremy Clarkson was going to help the Remain cause (see 12.48pm), the polling evidence suggests he was mistaken.
According to these YouGov figures, Clarkson is even less likely to be trusted on the EU than Cameron himself. The only figures on this list who poll worse are Tony Blair and Joey Essex.
Who do those undecided on #EURef trust? @MartinSLewis does ok, but Tony Blair has lower net trust than @JoeyEssex_ pic.twitter.com/XH5VkPWTQp
1.25pm BST
13:25
Severin Carrell
One of the most senior figures in the Church of Scotland, the Rev Dr Richard Frazer, has said a leave vote would be a denial of the UK’s moral values and its global humanitarian role.
Frazer, convener of the church and society council of the Church of Scotland, which voted last month to restate its support for the EU, said Brexit campaigners were “playing a dangerous game” by blaming immigrants, refugees and EU costs for the country’s financial problems.
In an article endorsing a remain vote in next week’s referendum, Frazer, the minister at Grayfriars kirk in Edinburgh, said:
The European project is far from perfect, but in as much as it has successfully replaced bombs with bureaucrats it has enabled European citizens to enjoy unprecedented peace, stability and opportunity since the Second World War ...
To walk away would be a denial of the very humanitarian and moral values for which we stand as an active participant in global civil society.
1.23pm BST
13:23
Rowena Mason
Unbeknownst to Boris Johnson, one of the Vote Leave activists at the fish processing plant he visited earlier (see 9.52am) turns out to be a former fan of the English Defence League.
The supporter, who had an EDL tattoo on his neck, told the Mirror it was done years ago and he was not politically active before the leave campaign. Andy Reynolds, 47, said he backed Johnson’s message, adding: “The fishermen have been struggling for years so it’s good to see someone highlighting it now.”