Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
  2. The Staggers
23 November 2016

Thomas Mair found guilty of murdering Jo Cox MP

The 53-year-old man who stabbed and shot the Labour MP for Batley and Spen has been found guilty of her murder.

By New Statesman

Thomas Mair has been found guilty of murdering Jo Cox.

The 53-year-old man stabbed and shot the Labour MP to death in her West Yorkshire constituency a week before the EU referendum.

Mair has been given a whole life sentence for the murder.

Cox, 41, had represented Batley and Spen since May 2015. She was outside a constituency surgery at Birstall Library on 16 June when Mair attacked her.

He was found guilty of all four charges against him: murder, having a firearm with intent, causing grievous bodily harm with intent to 78-year-old Bernard Kenny (who was wounded at the scene), and having an offensive weapon (a dagger).

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.

Prior to murdering Cox, Mair had been searching political assassinations online, as well as web pages about white supremacy. He has a golden Nazi eagle on his bookcase, which is full of reading materials about white supremacy and Nazism.

When he murdered Cox, he repeatedly shouted about British supremacy: “Britain first, this is for Britain. Britain will always come first. We are British independence. Make Britain independent.”

The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called her murder an “attack on democracy”, adding: “The single biggest tribute we can pay to Jo and her life will be to confront those who wish to promote the hatred and division that led to her murder.”

Cox’s husband Brendan has tweeted a tribute following the verdict:

The BBC reports that the murder was “politically motivated”, and labels it “the very definition of an act of terrorism”.

> Anoosh and Stephen’s obituary of Jo Cox

> Anoosh’s report from Batley and Spen, on the by-election no one wanted