A HEARTFELT tribute has been paid to MP Jo Cox by her Stratford counterpart.
The Labour MP for Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire died after being shot and stabbed on Thursday afternoon (June 16).
It is understood she was attacked in the street following a weekly surgery in her constituency.
The 41-year-old was taken to Leeds General Infirmary but a subsequent media conference held at police headquarters in Wakefield announced the mother-of-two had died as a result of her injuries.
Paying tribute, Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi told the Observer: “I had only known her for a year but in that time I found her to be a remarkable human being.
“At her first Prime Minister’s Question Time it felt like she had been here so much longer as she fitted in so well.
“She was a wonderful person and an incredibly effective Parliamentarian.”
Referring to how Mrs Cox’s passion for the crisis in Syria persuaded the government into a U-turn on the plight of refugees, he said: “For a rookie MP to change Government policy is quite remarkable.
“And let us not forget that she was a young mother with two beautiful young children whose only crime was that she was doing her job for her constituents.
“For those haters who troll and abuse MPs in Parliament through social media and who demonise people in public life, my message is that you will never win and I hope when you look in the mirror you hate what you see.”
Asked whether he had any plans to reconsider his own surgery security following the incident, a spokesman for Mr Zahawi added: “This is something that we always keep an eye on.
“We work with security colleagues both within Parliament, and Warwickshire Police, who provide us with regular updates and advice on what security steps they believe should be taken.
“Nadhim’s priority is always to be as accessible as possible to every member of the public who wants to meet with him, while ensuring that everyone is safe. At this point in time, we have no plans to change how Nadhim works in this regard.”
A 52-year-old man Thomas Mair was arrested near the scene and has since been charged with Mrs Cox’s murder.
Vote Leave and Remain both suspended campaigning in the EU referendum until Saturday (June 18) in light of the attack.
