Slain MP was vocal advocate for victims of Syrian war

Jo Cox served as the Labour MP for Batley and Spen for just over a year before her death at the age of 41.

During that time the married mother of two carved out a reputation as a plain speaker and solid operator who was spoken of as a future minister.

She was a vocal advocate for the victims of the Syrian civil war and was chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Friends of Syria group.

She abstained in last autumn’s contentious vote on allowing British military action in Syria, insisting a more wide-ranging attempt at a solution to the conflict was needed.

She was elected to the House of Commons in May 2015 after she secured a majority of 6,057 in the general election.

In her maiden speech last June, she spoke of how immigration had enriched community life.

“Our communities have been deeply enhanced by immigration, be it of Irish Catholics across the constituency or of Muslims from Gujarat in India or from Pakistan, principally from Kashmir,” she said.

“While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”

Ms Cox was born at Staincliffe Hospital and was raised in Heckmondwike and Batley.

She graduated from Cambridge University in 1995 and went on to be head of policy for Oxfam, and worked as an adviser for former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown's wife, Sarah, and Baroness Kinnock.

Ms Cox was also the chairwoman of the Labour Women’s Network.

She nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership contest last year, but voted for Blairite candidate Liz Kendall.

Ms Cox was also an adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and to the anti-slavery campaign group The Freedom Fund before she entered Parliament.

She was a supporter of the Remain campaign in the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union.

She was due to celebrate her 42nd birthday next Wednesday.

PA