Jo Cox MP death: Andrew Jones pays tribute to 'determined' woman

Jo Cox, MP for Batley and Spen, was conducting a drop-in surgery in a Birstall library when she was shot and stabbed multiple times.

Police said that Cox, 41, suffered serious injuries in the attack and was pronounced dead at 1.48pm on Thursday by a doctor with paramedics at the scene.

The mother-of-two, a tireless charity worker and self-proclaimed "proud Yorkshire lass", was elected into parliament for Labour in the 2015 General Election.

Tributes have been pouring in for Mrs Cox since her death, with David Cameron labelling her a "bright star" and Jeremy Corbyn saying she was a "much loved colleague".

Mr Jones said what struck him most about Mrs Cox was her "confidence" and "determination", especially when speaking in the Commons.

He said: "She was an incredibly nice woman, determined, resilient and a lovely character. She made a big impression in the house in the short space of time she was here.

"My first reaction when I heard what had happened was one of shock, we don't normally have any violence in our parliamentary system and when the news developed I was overcome with sadness.

"She was confident in the chamber, lively and determined, diligent, not afraid to speak her mind. She was just a nice person to deal with and a true up and comer.

"I'm now thinking of her family. This is not a time for any politics, this is a time for people to pull together and recognise what a tragic incident this was."

A 52-year-old man, named locally as Tommy Mair, was arrested in the area following the attack with weapons including a firearm also recovered.

Despite the nature of Mrs Cox's death, Mr Jones said he had no plans to change his outlook on regularly meeting face-to-face with constituents during drop-in surgeries.

The Conservative MP is due to hold a "shoppers' surgery" at Knaresborough Marks and Spencer on Saturday, June 18, and confirmed the session would still be going ahead.

He said: "I want to be a very approachable and accessible member of parliament. I don't want to change that.

"I want to make sure that if a member of the public wants to say something to me then I will be there for them. However, you do think about security at times like these.

"But what is critical for me now is to make sure we continue to do the things that are important in our parliamentary system and to not change everything and become inaccessible.

"The right lesson is to continue making the case for active, local direct representation. Our MPs and councillors are part of the community and work hard for them."