Murder of Jo Cox
On 16 June 2016, Jo Cox, a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen, died after being shot and stabbed multiple times in Birstall, West Yorkshire. In November 2016, 53-year-old Thomas Alexander Mair was found guilty of her murder and other offences connected to the killing in an act of terrorism.[1] The judge concluded that Mair wanted to advance white supremacy and exclusive nationalism most associated with Nazism and its modern forms. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order.[2][3]
Murder of Jo Cox
Market Street, Birstall, West Yorkshire, England
16 June 2016
c. 12:53 pm (BST)
- Shooting
- stabbing
- assassination
- domestic terrorism
Jo Cox
Bernard Carter-Kenny
Thomas Alexander Mair
The incident was the first killing of a sitting British MP since the death of Conservative MP Ian Gow, who was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1990, and the first death of a politician in the United Kingdom during an attack since county councillor Andrew Pennington was killed in 2000.
Perpetrator[edit]
The perpetrator was Thomas Alexander Mair, a 53-year-old unemployed gardener born in Scotland.[22] Mair had mental health problems,[23][24] though he was declared sane in the moment of the crime.[1] He believed individuals of liberal and left-wing political viewpoints, and the mainstream media, were the cause of the world's problems.[24] Writers at The Guardian suggested that he targeted Cox, a "passionate defender" of the European Union and immigration, because he saw her as "one of 'the collaborators' [and] a traitor" to white people.[24]
Mair had links to British and American far-right political groups including the neo-fascist National Front (NF), the United States-based neo-Nazi organization National Vanguard (the successor to the defunct National Alliance) and the English Defence League (EDL); he had attended far-right gatherings and purchased publications from the National Vanguard and other outlets,[24][25][26][27] to some of which he had sent letters and expressed support for South African apartheid.[28][29][24]
In his home were found Nazi regalia, far-right books,[22][30] and information on the construction of bombs.[24][27] He had searched the internet for information about the British National Party (BNP), South African apartheid, the Ku Klux Klan, prominent Jewish people, matricide,[22][30] white supremacy/nationalism, Nazism/Nazi Party, SS/Waffen SS, Israel, mass shootings, serial killers, Frazier Glenn Miller Jr., William Hague, Ian Gow (another assassinated MP),[24] and Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik (about whose case he collected newspaper clippings). He also owned Nazi iconography and books and films related to the Nazis.[31] A police official described Mair as a "loner in the truest sense of the word ... who never held down a job, never had a girlfriend [and] never [had] any friends".[24] The Guardian said that he "appears to have fantasised about killing a 'collaborator' for more than 17 years, drawing inspiration from" David Copeland.[24]
The evening before killing Cox, Mair visited a treatment centre in Birstall seeking help for depression; he was told to return the next day for an appointment.[32] Mair's health was not part of the defence case in the trial.[33] After his arrest, he was examined by a psychiatrist who found no evidence that Mair's mental health was so impaired that he could not be held responsible for his conduct.[24]
In October 2020, a press report stated that West Yorkshire Police's Homicide and Major Enquiries Team (HMET) continued to investigate how he acquired the weapon used, which remains a mystery. The lack of communication on Mair's phone was described by Detective Chief Inspector Nick Wallen, who led the investigation into Mair, as not indicating someone who was "immersed in criminality". A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "A lengthy investigation was carried out to try and establish how Thomas Mair acquired this firearm. All lines of enquiry have for the time being been exhausted, but the investigation will be revisited if further information comes to light."[34]
Trial, conviction and sentence[edit]
On 18 June 2016, asked to confirm his name in Westminster Magistrates' Court, Mair said, "My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain." His lawyers said there was no indication of how he would plead. Mair was remanded in custody and the magistrate suggested he be seen by a psychiatrist.[8][35]
At a bail hearing on 20 June, the judge remanded Mair in custody until a hearing to be held "under terrorism-related protocols".[36][37] At the next hearing on 23 June, the judge said the case would be handled as part of "the terrorism case management list", on which cases related to terrorism as defined by the Terrorism Act 2000 are placed.[38] At a September 2016 hearing, Mair's counsel said they would not advance a diminished responsibility argument.[39] At another hearing the following month, Mair—again appearing by video link—refused to enter a plea; the judge entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf.[39][40]
Mair's trial began at the Old Bailey on 14 November 2016.[41] He made no attempt to defend himself.[22] Witnesses testified that during the attack, Mair had cried out "This is for Britain", "keep Britain independent", and "Britain first".[22][42][43][44] On 23 November 2016, the jury took about 90 minutes[22] to convict Mair of Cox's murder, grievous bodily harm against Bernard Carter-Kenny, possession of a firearm with intent, and possession of a dagger.[22][45] The same day, Mair was sentenced to life imprisonment; the judge said he had no doubt Mair murdered Cox to advance political, racial, and ideological causes of violent white supremacism and exclusive nationalism most associated with Nazism and its modern forms. This made the case exceptionally serious; accordingly the judge imposed a whole life term, meaning Mair will never be eligible for parole.[3] As confirmed by the Crown Prosecution Service, Mair's conviction for a crime amounting to a terrorism offence also means he is officially classed as a terrorist by the United Kingdom.[46]
Aftermath[edit]
Cox's death was the first killing of a sitting British MP since Eastbourne MP Ian Gow was killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1990,[126][127][128] and the first serious assault since Stephen Timms was stabbed by Roshonara Choudhry in an attempted assassination in 2010.[129][130] Another example of an attack on an MP while carrying out constituency duties was the attack on Nigel Jones in 2000, resulting in the death of his assistant, local councillor Andrew Pennington.[131]
Many MPs went ahead with planned constituency surgeries scheduled on the day after Cox's death with increased security.[132] A spokeswoman for the National Police Chiefs' Council said police forces had been asked to remind MPs to be vigilant about their personal safety; it said, "Officers will offer further guidance and advice where an MP requests it on a case-by-case basis depending on any specific threat or risk".[133] The party whips' offices urged MPs to discuss security measures with their local police forces.[132]
In July 2016, Kevin McKeever, a Labour politician and partner in Portland Communications – a public relations firm accused of playing an instrumental role in an attempt to force the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn – received an alleged death threat telling him he should "prepare to be coxed".[134] Commenting on the incident, and other threats MPs had received, Ruth Price, Cox's parliamentary assistant, urged people to "move away from the baseless, nasty and intimidating abuse MPs currently face".[135]
Cox's murder was also explicitly referenced in the social media posts of a man who was jailed for four months in April 2017 for making death threats towards the then-MP for Eastbourne Caroline Ansell of the Conservative party.[136] Two months after the death of Cox, at least 25 MPs received identical death threats, including the Labour MP Chris Bryant. Bryant said the threats were "particularly disturbing ... [in] that a lot of these threats are to women. I think women MPs, gay MPs, ethnic minority MPs get the brunt of it."[137]
At the time of Cox's death, MPs wishing to make additional security arrangements were required to apply to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), the watchdog overseeing their expenses. On 20 July, the House of Commons Estimates Committee voted to strip IPSA of this responsibility amid concerns over the time-frame of the process.[138] MPs were offered training sessions in Krav Maga, a form of unarmed combat that combines judo, jujitsu, boxing, and street fighting. The Yorkshire Post reported that the first session, held in early August, was attended by two MPs and eighteen assistants.[139]
Cox's murder took place a week before the 2016 European Union membership referendum. The rival official campaigns suspended their activities as a mark of respect.[140] David Cameron cancelled a planned rally in Gibraltar supporting British EU membership.[141] Campaigning resumed on Sunday 19 June.[142][143] Polling officials in the Yorkshire and Humber region halted the counting of referendum ballots on the evening of 23 June to observe a minute's silence.[144] The referendum resulted in a vote in favour of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
The 2017 general election campaign was suspended for an hour on 21 May 2017, as politicians held a truce in memory of Cox ahead of the vote.[145]
Following Cox's murder, the Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, UK Independence Party (UKIP), and the Green Party announced they would not contest the ensuing by-election in her constituency as a mark of respect;[146] Brendan Cox also ruled out standing for the seat.[147] Tracy Brabin was chosen as Labour's candidate on 23 September,[148] and elected to the seat on 20 October.[149] Nine other candidates contested the seat.[150] They included three candidates who stated their intention to stand before the election was confirmed. On 20 June, Jack Buckby, a former member of the British National Party announced he would be a candidate in the by-election for Liberty GB.[151] On 18 July, the English Democrats announced that their deputy chair, Therese Hirst, would also stand.[152] Although UKIP did not contest the seat, UKIP member Waqas Ali Khan announced on 6 August he would stand as an independent.[153]
In the days after Cox's death, Arron Banks, founder of the Leave.EU campaign for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, conducted private polling to determine whether the incident would affect the referendum's outcome. After disclosing the matter to LBC radio presenter Iain Dale, he was challenged as to whether such a poll was tasteless. Banks rejected the suggestion, saying, "We were hoping to see what the effect of the event was. That is an interesting point of view, whether it would shift public opinion ... I don't see it as very controversial."[154] Likewise, Gary Jones of the Mirror pressurised political editor Nigel Nelson to write a front-page Mirror story on "the Jo effect", saying her death had swung support to Remain in a new opinion poll under the headline: "Tragic Jo's Death Sparks Poll Surge" despite only 192 of the 2,046 answers ComRes received being after the murder and that ComRes stating, "the figures should be treated with a degree of caution given the sample size".[155]
At a speech to the London School of Economics in September 2016, Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament, said the "nasty" referendum debate was a contributing factor in Cox's death. The comments were swiftly criticised by some of Cox's colleagues, including leading Eurosceptic Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg, who described them as "trivialising" her death.[156]
Cox's killing has been likened to that of Swedish politician Anna Lindh in 2003.[157] Lindh was stabbed to death shortly before Sweden's referendum on joining the euro, which she supported. Campaigning was also suspended after her killing.[158] Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter said, "Like Jo Cox, Anna Lindh was a young, successful politician, and both were the mothers of two children. Both were also participating in campaigns for the EU when they were murdered".[159]