Before she was attacked and killed Thursday, Jo Cox was known for her vocal stance in the “Brexit” debate — as well has her beloved persona in and out of Britain’s Parliament.
“You just can’t fault the woman. She was perfect in every single way,” Labour Councillor Shabir Pandor said.
Cox, 41, was a staunch supporter of Britain voting to stay in the European Union — an issue that will go to a referendum next week. Authorities have not said what was the motive in her killing.
Cox’s final tweet, posted Friday, addressed her advocacy for Britain remaining in the EU.
“Immigration is a legitimate concern, but it’s not a good reason to leave the EU,” Cox wrote.
Despite her stances that some opposed, she was highly regarded across the political spectrum in Parliament, colleagues said.
“It’s just unbelievable. I don’t think anyone could think this could happen to such a courageous, kind and committed member of Parliament who was killed in the line of duty,” Labour Party lawmaker Rushanara Ali said.
Conservative Kirklees Councillor David Hall knew Cox for decades. The two became friends in school
“She was a very vivacious girl, very sporty, very good at her studies educationally, very popular,” Hall said.
The two later entered public office — though on opposite ends of the political divide.
Despite that, Hall said, Cox “stood for fairness.”
He said he saw potential for Cox to hold higher office.
“It saddens me greatly that she won’t realize those ambitions, if she had those ambitions,” he said.
Advocate for many causes
Cox, a mother of two, was elected last year to Parliament, representing Batley and Spen.
Before joining Parliament, Cox spent a decade with the aid agency Oxfam, according to her website.
She also worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Freedom Fund, a charity trying to end the scourge of modern slavery.
Cox focused on women’s and children’s issues. She spent four years as national chair of the Labour Women’s Network, encouraging more women to enter public life.
Politically, she worked for Britain in Europe, pro-European campaign organization.
Labour politician Tristram Hunt said Cox’s contributions went far beyond Parliament.
“Jo Cox was a dedicated internationalist, passionate social justice campaigner, brilliant MP, & loving mother,” Hunt tweeted. “Her death is too wretched. RIP.”
First graduate, mother and wife
Cox was the first person from her family to graduate from university, her biography says.
She leaves behind a husband and two children.
When she wasn’t in Parliament, Cox split her time between her home in Batley and Spen and on her home on a boat on the River Thames.
Conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron said Cox’s death is a tragic loss.
“She was a committed and caring MP,” he tweeted. “My thoughts are with her husband Brendan and her two young children.”