:00:14. > :00:24.Welcome to outside source. The light is fading on a dark day for British
:00:25. > :00:30.politics. Here in west Yorkshire a local member of Parliament has been
:00:31. > :00:34.killed, tack in the street. Jo Cox was a wife, a mother of two, a
:00:35. > :00:40.former aid worker, stabbed and shot by her attacker. The 52-year-old man
:00:41. > :00:49.was arrested close to the scene, named locally as Tommy Mair. Weapons
:00:50. > :00:57.including a firearm have also been recovered. This picture of Jo Cox
:00:58. > :00:59.was posted by her husband, Brendan, and social media, tributes are being
:01:00. > :01:06.paid at the highest level of British politics. We have lost a great star,
:01:07. > :01:13.a great campaigning MP with huge compassion and they are at heart.
:01:14. > :01:18.People will be very sad at what has happened, this dreadful, dreadful
:01:19. > :01:24.news. This time next week we will be into the last hour of voting of the
:01:25. > :01:26.UK referendum of the membership of the European Union but both sides of
:01:27. > :01:43.the debate have suspended their campaigns.
:01:44. > :01:52.The ability to choose and change our representatives is at the heart of
:01:53. > :01:59.our democracy here in Britain. Last year in 2015 in the general election
:02:00. > :02:04.Jo Cox was elected to represent this area in West Yorkshire. Also at the
:02:05. > :02:09.heart of our dumb Chrissy is the connection between an MP and their
:02:10. > :02:12.constituents. -- our democracy. Behind me, in the library where I am
:02:13. > :02:19.speaking Behind me, in the library where I am
:02:20. > :02:22.beaten to you, she was due to meet constituents and discuss their
:02:23. > :02:26.concerns. She was attacked on the pavement, shot and stabbed, and
:02:27. > :02:33.despite being rushed to hospital in nearby Leeds, died from her
:02:34. > :02:39.injuries. Police say they have arrested a 52-year-old man, locals
:02:40. > :02:43.are naming him as Tommy Mair, police have described a motive but have
:02:44. > :02:49.said they are not looking for anybody else as part of
:02:50. > :02:56.investigations. One eyewitness told the BBC that they heard the attacker
:02:57. > :03:00.shout, put Britain first, before the attack. It all happened one week
:03:01. > :03:05.before the referendum on UK membership of the European Union.
:03:06. > :03:10.Both sides have suspended their campaigns today on hearing the news
:03:11. > :03:13.of this attack in West Yorkshire. Let me take you through the events
:03:14. > :03:17.of the day with the help of Ed Thomas.
:03:18. > :03:19.This morning, Birstall was a quiet Yorkshire town.
:03:20. > :03:22.Now it is full of armed police, full of unanswered
:03:23. > :03:27.Why was the local MP, Jo Cox, shot and stabbed in the middle
:03:28. > :03:39.I saw him pull out of the gun, then he fired one shot.
:03:40. > :03:41.This man watched the attack on his local MP.
:03:42. > :03:43.It never crossed your mind that it was the MP
:03:44. > :03:56.Jo Cox had been stabbed and shot, she was rushed to Leeds General
:03:57. > :04:01.infirmary, but at 5pm police later confirmed she died
:04:02. > :04:03.infirmary, but at 5pm police confirmed she died
:04:04. > :04:18.Just before one o'clock she was attacked on market Street, Birstall,
:04:19. > :04:22.I am now very sad to report she died as a result of her injuries.
:04:23. > :04:25.My thoughts go out to her husband, the family, their friends, their
:04:26. > :04:28.pain is unimaginable and our thoughts and prayers are with them
:04:29. > :04:34.Within minutes of the attack this footage was filmed close by, the BBC
:04:35. > :04:37.understands that the man being arrested was called Tommy Mair.
:04:38. > :04:42.All day, police forensic teams searched
:04:43. > :04:45.Neighbours are struggling to understand what happened.
:04:46. > :04:53.He just walked right past, like he does.
:04:54. > :04:55.He likes his gardening and stuff like that.
:04:56. > :05:05.Jo Cox was an MP for barely over a year but
:05:06. > :05:08.her reputation was growing, accessible, always willing to
:05:09. > :05:14.Minutes before the attack she was in her local library talking
:05:15. > :05:21.A down-to-earth, loving, caring person, you could ask anything and
:05:22. > :05:35.Tonight, her husband released this picture of his wife.
:05:36. > :05:38.Not just an MP but also a mother to two young
:05:39. > :05:50.children, a reminder of what has been taken.
:05:51. > :05:57.Ed Thomas has spoken to a man called Clark Rothwell who witnessed the
:05:58. > :06:02.horrific attack. I will play you that account of what happened. I
:06:03. > :06:08.should warn you that you may find it distressing.
:06:09. > :06:13.Basically I finished work. I went to get a sandwich for my dinner. I had
:06:14. > :06:20.a loud noise behind me, like a car backfiring. I was not aware it was a
:06:21. > :06:26.gunshot. I turned around to look, and heard a woman screaming. Then a
:06:27. > :06:31.guy was bent over a woman, her legs were sticking out, it looked like he
:06:32. > :06:35.had a gun in his hand, he shot her again on the floor. She was crawling
:06:36. > :06:40.away, to other people were wrestling to try to get the guy off. He then
:06:41. > :06:51.wielded a knife. They backed off, fearing for their own safety. What
:06:52. > :06:58.did he say? Britain first, or put Britain first. He shouted it at
:06:59. > :07:01.least twice. We are in the middle of a ferocious campaign over whether
:07:02. > :07:06.the UK should remain in the European Union. We have seen divisions across
:07:07. > :07:12.British politics in the past few weeks. On hearing of the terrible
:07:13. > :07:20.loss British politicians have spoken as one. First, the Prime Minister,
:07:21. > :07:23.David Cameron. This is absolutely tragic and a
:07:24. > :07:29.dreadful news. My thoughts are with the husband and the children and the
:07:30. > :07:35.wider family. We have lost a great star. She was an MP, a great
:07:36. > :07:42.campaigning MP with huge compassion and a big heart. People will be very
:07:43. > :07:47.sad at what has happened, this dreadful, dreadful news. It is right
:07:48. > :07:53.to suspend campaigning activity in the referendum, the thoughts of
:07:54. > :07:57.everyone with the of Cho and her constituents at this terrible time.
:07:58. > :08:04.There has been an outpouring of grief, what did you know of Jo Cox?
:08:05. > :08:07.That she was a very strong campaigning MP with a great track
:08:08. > :08:14.record of campaigning for refugees and taking a big interest in how we
:08:15. > :08:19.look after Syrian refugees. She had a huge heart, she was a passionate,
:08:20. > :08:25.campaigning MP, a bright start, no doubt about it, a star for her
:08:26. > :08:29.constituents, and across the house. But above all I am thinking of
:08:30. > :08:33.Brendan and the children, and her constituents, who will be feeling
:08:34. > :08:36.this huge sense of loss tonight. It is right we stop the campaigning
:08:37. > :08:43.activity and think of them, and what they have lost. We heard from the
:08:44. > :08:48.Prime Minister, we also heard from the Leader of the Opposition, the
:08:49. > :08:56.leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn. Jo Cox was a Labour MP and
:08:57. > :09:01.Jeremy Corbyn was also speaking. The Labour family are devastated
:09:02. > :09:06.tonight. Jo Cox has been killed doing her duty, her work as a
:09:07. > :09:11.constituency MP. She is somebody who dedicated her life to human rights
:09:12. > :09:16.and justice. She worked for anti-slavery campaigns, Oxfam, and
:09:17. > :09:21.she became an MP for the area where she was born and grew up and loved.
:09:22. > :09:25.In Parliament she was respected across the whole house. Somebody
:09:26. > :09:35.with a deep commitment and passion for human rights and justice. Sadly,
:09:36. > :09:40.today, she was killed on the streets of her constituency, doing her duty
:09:41. > :09:47.as a local MP, helping people. She leaves behind a husband, a wonderful
:09:48. > :09:53.man, who, likewise, spends his life campaigning for human rights and
:09:54. > :09:58.justice. And she leaves behind two young children, who will never grow
:09:59. > :10:03.up to see them ever again. They can be proud of what she was, they can
:10:04. > :10:08.be proud of what she did, and they can be very proud of everything that
:10:09. > :10:14.she stood for. We come together at a time like this. We come together to
:10:15. > :10:19.support the family and two more in, and to reflect. Violence is not the
:10:20. > :10:27.answer. It is not the answer to anything. We need to come together
:10:28. > :10:32.and express our deepest condolences to Jo and her family, we have lost a
:10:33. > :10:37.wonderful woman, a wonderful member of Parliament, but our democracy
:10:38. > :10:40.will go on, the work will go on, as we mourn the memory we will work for
:10:41. > :10:45.her memory to achieve the better world she spent her life trying to
:10:46. > :10:57.achieve. Jeremy Corbyn talking earlier. I live -- I am talking live
:10:58. > :11:01.from Birstall where she was attacked, a profoundly upsetting day
:11:02. > :11:04.for the locals, their MP brutally attacked on the street just across
:11:05. > :11:09.from the square where they have the local market in the mornings. The
:11:10. > :11:14.world media has descended, along with many people wishing to pay
:11:15. > :11:18.tribute to Jo Cox, not just from the village but from across the
:11:19. > :11:26.constituency. We can talk now to a local resident, Pam, you have just
:11:27. > :11:32.come from a vigil for Jo Cox? I have indeed. People just bowing their
:11:33. > :11:41.heads in silence, reflecting on their own memories of her. The
:11:42. > :11:46.church was packed. It was very moving. Absolutely devastating news
:11:47. > :11:54.that we have lost a very talented local resident. I just could not
:11:55. > :12:01.fail to come today. I am absolutely devastated at the news. Can you
:12:02. > :12:08.share what was said? Not much was said, just individual
:12:09. > :12:19.players. People were asked to bow their heads in silence and have
:12:20. > :12:25.their own reflection -- individual prayers. People are held her in high
:12:26. > :12:34.regard regardless of political persuasion. Indeed. A real loss to
:12:35. > :12:38.the Labour Party. When you think of her as a local MP, what did she mean
:12:39. > :12:45.to you? She represented fairness. Nobody was
:12:46. > :12:54.singled out, she represented everybody, Asian, white, black, she
:12:55. > :13:01.was there for you, she worked there. It is still hard comprehend how the
:13:02. > :13:07.day ended, giving it like any other? -- after it began like any other? We
:13:08. > :13:11.were only just coming to terms with what happened in Orlando at the
:13:12. > :13:18.weekend and now this, it is absolutely devastating. Our guest
:13:19. > :13:24.was talking about Orlando, President Obama paid a visit there after the
:13:25. > :13:30.horror of the weekend, and we will bring you that in the second half of
:13:31. > :13:36.the programme. But the loss of Jo Cox is being keenly felt across her
:13:37. > :13:40.constituency, the horror and the grief also keenly felt in
:13:41. > :13:47.Westminster. In the next few minutes we will go there to hear what some
:13:48. > :13:51.members of Parliament have been saying, paying tribute to what she
:13:52. > :14:02.brought to the House of Commons since arriving in 2015.
:14:03. > :14:11.Across the political spectrum we have heard tributes to Jo Cox, who
:14:12. > :14:15.colleague Ben Bradshaw called her a dedicated public servant who
:14:16. > :14:22.campaigned tirelessly for Syrian refugees. Here is more of what he
:14:23. > :14:28.said. You could not have met a lovely person in the world. A
:14:29. > :14:34.dedicated public servant. A mother, a wife, she did fantastic charity
:14:35. > :14:37.work before entering Parliament, and in her year in Parliament she made
:14:38. > :14:42.more of a market than anybody else with her campaigning against the
:14:43. > :14:48.slaughter in Syria, on behalf of the Syrian refugees, she has been at the
:14:49. > :14:54.forefront of the remaining campaign in the European referendum, and for
:14:55. > :14:58.a young mother like her, an elected representative, to be struck down on
:14:59. > :15:09.the street, it is really shocking, we are all still coming to terms
:15:10. > :15:14.with it. Hello, live from West Yorkshire
:15:15. > :15:18.after a local member of Parliament was attacked in the street and
:15:19. > :15:23.subsequently died from her injuries. As I am talking one woman has walked
:15:24. > :15:27.by with a single rose and a note, the king to lay it with other
:15:28. > :15:34.flowers just across from where I am talking to you. -- looking to lay
:15:35. > :15:40.it. Jo Cox was shot and stabbed and later died of her injuries. Some of
:15:41. > :15:48.the other stories from BBC World Service: BBC Arabic is reporting
:15:49. > :15:51.that the Egypt air plane which crashed into the Mediterranean last
:15:52. > :15:55.month, the cockpit voice recorder has been found, and the so-called
:15:56. > :16:02.black box damaged, but the memory unit retrieved. BBC Chinese has the
:16:03. > :16:06.story of the Hong Kong book-seller held by mainland Chinese police last
:16:07. > :16:13.year, he has returned to Hong Kong and said the confession he made for
:16:14. > :16:21.illegal trading was forced. More reaction to the murder of Jo
:16:22. > :16:26.Cox, a local MP in West Yorkshire in the north of England, attacked on
:16:27. > :16:30.the pavement just behind me in front of the local library where she had
:16:31. > :16:35.been planning to spend time with local constituents, airing their
:16:36. > :16:50.concerns. The former Congresswoman, Gabrielle
:16:51. > :16:58.Gifford, you may remember, shot last year, she has released a statement
:16:59. > :17:00.saying... And the Spanish Prime Minister,
:17:01. > :17:09.saying... And one more political reaction in
:17:10. > :17:30.the UK, Boris Johnson has said... We go live now to Westminster and
:17:31. > :17:33.Tom Bateman has been covering the story ever since we started getting
:17:34. > :17:38.word that something awful has happened. This comes in the middle
:17:39. > :17:43.of a feverish time for Westminster, with the referendum on UK membership
:17:44. > :17:48.of the European Union. I guess all that has completely come a halt?
:17:49. > :17:54.That is right, in very literal terms. Both sides of the referendum
:17:55. > :17:59.campaign have said today that as a mark of respect they will cease
:18:00. > :18:04.campaigning. Politics, in a way, is paused, in reflection, really, at
:18:05. > :18:08.the terrible, tragic events we have heard about. It is unclear when the
:18:09. > :18:13.campaign itself will get going again, it is just one week now until
:18:14. > :18:21.polling begins. Westminster is a place we get so used to the high
:18:22. > :18:23.energy, the politics of the House of Commons chamber, the animated
:18:24. > :18:30.traffic, the tourists outside, but it feels like a much more quiet,
:18:31. > :18:39.reflective taste and I'd. There's been a candlelit vigil attended by
:18:40. > :18:43.the Labour leader, deputy leader, and other parliamentary colleagues,
:18:44. > :18:45.and the union flag flies at half-mast to light above the
:18:46. > :18:52.parlance of Westminster. These are unusual and very difficult times for
:18:53. > :18:56.parliamentarians coming to terms with news that is just so
:18:57. > :19:00.unbelievable. There is a profound sense of this belief. You need to go
:19:01. > :19:04.back almost three decades to the last case of a member of Parliament
:19:05. > :19:07.being killed is the result of a Camelot act, and that was in the
:19:08. > :19:15.dying days of the Northern Ireland troubles. -- a criminal act. So
:19:16. > :19:19.people are trying to come to terms, but they realise that, at some
:19:20. > :19:25.point, the referendum campaign will need to get going again. But for
:19:26. > :19:30.now, a time of reflection. In never did the politicians come in
:19:31. > :19:35.for a lots of criticism -- inevitably. But perhaps this is a
:19:36. > :19:39.reminder that away from the speeches and the photo Ops there's a lot of
:19:40. > :19:42.hard work that goes on and away from the cameras and microphones, simply
:19:43. > :19:47.serving constituents who elected them.
:19:48. > :19:52.Absolutely, we often have the debate about politicians, what is the real
:19:53. > :19:56.motivation? We hear how some people go into politics because they are
:19:57. > :20:01.glory hunters, or is it really about wanting to make a difference, to do
:20:02. > :20:08.good, to serve constituents? What has been so striking about the
:20:09. > :20:12.tributes to Jo Cox is here was somebody newly elected very
:20:13. > :20:18.recently, yes, making such a mark because of the campaigns she forged,
:20:19. > :20:23.who wished to help Syrian refugees, her work for the NSPCC, for other
:20:24. > :20:31.charities, which she continued to campaign on. We heard from Andrew
:20:32. > :20:34.Mitchell, former international and element secretary, who said that
:20:35. > :20:40.within weeks of her being an M P, despite being new, not knowing much
:20:41. > :20:43.about the corridors of power, she sought out an opponent, of all my
:20:44. > :20:48.government member, and went and knocked on his door and said she
:20:49. > :20:51.wanted to start a committee with him to help Syrian refugees, so the
:20:52. > :20:57.all-party group on the friends of Syria began. She co-chaired it. It
:20:58. > :21:03.is really a testament to the way in which she made that mark in a short
:21:04. > :21:05.space of time on all of her Parliamentary colleagues, of all
:21:06. > :21:11.parties. I must ask you about the referendum.
:21:12. > :21:16.I know that both sides of the camp and suspended their efforts but the
:21:17. > :21:21.vote will go ahead. And it remains hugely significant to the future of
:21:22. > :21:25.the UK and also the European Union. The campaigns cannot remain
:21:26. > :21:30.suspended for ever. What do you hear from people within Westminster about
:21:31. > :21:35.how they may proceed? We had a very packed schedule, even
:21:36. > :21:39.today, for both sides of the campaign, out on the road and in the
:21:40. > :21:43.TV studios, we are into the last days of the campaign and it is
:21:44. > :21:48.increasingly fraught. Next week we have some big set piece events with
:21:49. > :21:57.the Prime Minister and other senior figures who were due to carry out
:21:58. > :22:01.the work, as I mentioned, just a week away from polling. So far
:22:02. > :22:06.tonight we have simply a wish on behalf of both campaigns to not get
:22:07. > :22:11.into it, and for the time being at least, understand that this is a
:22:12. > :22:15.moment to reflect on the events that have happened. I expect that as we
:22:16. > :22:20.get into tomorrow, we have heard the Labour side say there will be a
:22:21. > :22:26.pause at least until the weekend, I expect as we get into tomorrow we
:22:27. > :22:31.made more information about when things will start to get going again
:22:32. > :22:35.on that front. A little while ago we spoke to a
:22:36. > :22:43.local resident who had just been to the visual in the parish church.
:22:44. > :22:49.Tributes were being paid to Jo Cox. A little earlier I spoke to the
:22:50. > :22:51.local vicar. She was lively and determined to
:22:52. > :22:56.work for the community, just a lovely person. Sometimes when we
:22:57. > :23:01.talk about politicians they are divisive figures but I have not
:23:02. > :23:07.heard anyone say anything negative about her regardless of their
:23:08. > :23:10.politics. I am not aware of any of that. As I say, she was determined
:23:11. > :23:16.to help this community, individuals and groups like. There are people
:23:17. > :23:25.around the world who will not know this place, Birstall, can you tell
:23:26. > :23:31.us about this? A community of 15,000 people, a retail park, a Jacobean
:23:32. > :23:36.house, a paint factory, and churches. They are good people,
:23:37. > :23:41.Yorkshire people. They have good hearts. Give us an idea of what
:23:42. > :23:46.would have been happening here around lunchtime when the attack
:23:47. > :23:53.took place. It is market day-to-day which is one of the reasons she was
:23:54. > :23:59.his undoing her surgery -- she was here doing her surgery. The market
:24:00. > :24:04.stalls, once a week. All the people come out to it, and the local shops
:24:05. > :24:07.around. Behind the Reverend is the local library, where she would have
:24:08. > :24:13.held the surgery. Hearing the concerns of constituents. That's
:24:14. > :24:16.right, and advertised surgery, anybody could go along, to speak
:24:17. > :24:22.about what ever they were concerned about. That was the Reverend Paul
:24:23. > :24:26.Knight a little earlier. I want to show you what is happening right
:24:27. > :24:32.now. Even though the light is fading the work of the police very much
:24:33. > :24:37.goes on. Behind me you can see a large group of police wearing dark
:24:38. > :24:41.clothing, looking very closely over an area close to where eyewitnesses
:24:42. > :24:46.say the attack took place. Ever since I have been here, several
:24:47. > :24:53.hours now, the police presence has continued in this part of the
:24:54. > :24:56.street. Not just on the side of the road next to the library, where the
:24:57. > :25:00.MP surgery would take place, a chance for her to talk with
:25:01. > :25:04.constituents, we have not just seen the police in the dark clothing that
:25:05. > :25:09.you can see now, but other officials as well, going about their work in
:25:10. > :25:14.full body white suits with masks on, the forensic teams, working very
:25:15. > :25:20.hard, and evidently, despite having been here since early afternoon, the
:25:21. > :25:26.work still goes on for a great many police. That is just one shot we can
:25:27. > :25:30.show you of what is happening in the street where the attack took place.
:25:31. > :25:34.But if I look across to my right there are other police, a series of
:25:35. > :25:39.streets all around were this attack took place, completely sealed off by
:25:40. > :25:44.policemen and women as they go about their investigations. But let's
:25:45. > :25:50.reiterate, they have already arrested a 52-year-old man, named
:25:51. > :25:54.locally as Tommy Mair, and they say they are not looking to find anyone
:25:55. > :25:57.else in relation to the investigation. I will return in a
:25:58. > :25:58.few moments as