Jo Cox

For other people with similar names, see Jo Cox (disambiguation).

Jo Cox
Cox, c. 2015
Chair of the Labour Women's Network
In office
2011–2015
LeaderEd Miliband
Member of Parliament
for Batley and Spen
In office
7 May 2015 – 16 June 2016
Preceded byMike Wood
Succeeded byTracy Brabin
Personal details
Born
Helen Joanne Leadbeater

(1974-06-22)22 June 1974
Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England
Died16 June 2016(2016-06-16) (aged 41)
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Cause of deathMurder (gunshot wounds, stab wounds)[1]
Political partyLabour
Spouse
Brendan Cox
​
(m. 2009)​
Children2
RelativesKim Leadbeater (sister)
Alma mater
WebsiteOfficial website

Helen Joanne Cox[2] (née Leadbeater; 22 June 1974 – 16 June 2016) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen from May 2015 until her murder in June 2016. She was a member of the Labour Party.

Born in Batley, West Yorkshire, Cox studied Social and Political Sciences at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Working first as a political assistant, she joined the international humanitarian charity Oxfam in 2001, where she became head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam GB in 2005. She was selected to contest the Batley and Spen parliamentary seat after the incumbent, Mike Wood, decided not to stand in 2015. She held the seat for Labour with an increased majority.[3] Cox became a campaigner on issues relating to the Syrian civil war, and founded and chaired the all-party parliamentary group Friends of Syria.

On 16 June 2016, Cox died after being shot and stabbed multiple times in the street in the village of Birstall, where she had been due to hold a constituency surgery.[4] Thomas Mair, who held far-right views, was found guilty of her murder in November and sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order.[5][6] In July 2021, Cox's sister, Kim Leadbeater, was elected as the Labour MP for Batley and Spen, following a by-election.[7]

  1. ^ "MP Jo Cox died from 'multiple stab and gunshot wounds'". BBC News. 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  2. ^ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9119.
  3. ^ "Batley & Spen Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  4. ^ "MP Jo Cox died from 'multiple stab and gunshot wounds'". BBC News. 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Man jailed for life for murdering MP Jo Cox". BBC News. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  6. ^ Cobain, Ian; Taylor, Matthew (23 November 2016). "Far-right terrorist Thomas Mair jailed for life for Jo Cox murder". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Batley and Spen: Labour narrowly hold seat in by-election". BBC News. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.