British finance minister George Osborne ruled himself out of the running to succeed Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday, citing his fierce advocacy of staying in the European Union. 
 
The government is under pressure to fill a vacuum left when Cameron announced he would resign by October after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the 28-member bloc in last week&#39;s referendum. 
 
&quot;It isn&#39;t in my nature to do things by half-measure, and I fought the referendum campaign with everything I&#39;ve got. I believed in this cause and fought hard for it,&quot; Osborne wrote in the Times newspaper. 
 
&quot;So it is clear that while I completely accept the result, I am not the person to provide the unity my party needs at this time.&quot; 
 
Before the referendum campaign, Osborne had been widely regarded as a candidate to succeed Cameron one day, boosted by one of the strongest expansions among major developed economies in the last few years. 
 
Osborne on Monday said Britain&#39;s vote to leave the EU was likely to lead to further volatility in financial markets but said the world&#39;s fifth-biggest economy would cope with the challenge ahead. 
 
The Times said Osborne is weighing up whether to support former London mayor and Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson - the current front-runner - in exchange for an appointment as foreign secretary. It did not cite a source. 
 
A YouGov poll on Monday suggested interior minister Theresa May holds a lead over Johnson, among both the public and Conservative party members. 
 
British media also reported pensions minister Stephen Crabb and health secretary Jeremy Hunt were considering running for leader. 
 
(Reuters)

The finance minister was a supporter of the Stay campaign and said he is 'not the person to provide the unity my party needs at this time'

British finance minister George Osborne ruled himself out of the running to succeed Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday, citing his fierce advocacy of staying in the European Union. The government is under pressure to fill a vacuum left when Cameron announced he would resign by October after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the 28-member bloc in last week's referendum. "It isn't in my nature to do things by half-measure, and I fought the referendum campaign with everything I've got. I believed in this cause and fought hard for it," Osborne wrote in the Times newspaper. "So it is clear that while I completely accept the result, I am not the person to provide the unity my party needs at this time." Before the referendum campaign, Osborne had been widely regarded as a candidate to succeed Cameron one day, boosted by one of the strongest expansions among major developed economies in the last few years. Osborne on Monday said Britain's vote to leave the EU was likely to lead to further volatility in financial markets but said the world's fifth-biggest economy would cope with the challenge ahead. The Times said Osborne is weighing up whether to support former London mayor and Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson - the current front-runner - in exchange for an appointment as foreign secretary. It did not cite a source. A YouGov poll on Monday suggested interior minister Theresa May holds a lead over Johnson, among both the public and Conservative party members. British media also reported pensions minister Stephen Crabb and health secretary Jeremy Hunt were considering running for leader. (Reuters)

UK's Osborne rules himself out of race to succeed Prime Minister Cameron

Eighty per cent of the estimated 800,000 Poles living in Britain want to stay there even if it leaves the EU, while just three per cent want to return home, a poll published Sunday said. 
 
More than half of the Polish migrants surveyed by Poland&#39;s IBRiS pollsters also said they intend to apply for British citizenship.&nbsp; 
 
The study conducted from June 1517 is the largest ever involving Polish migrants in Britain, which could vote to leave the EU in a referendum on Thursday. 
 
A further 10 per cent of Polish migrants said they would move to another EU state if a Brexit meant they would have to leave Britain. 
 
&quot;Almost nobody wants to leave Britain,&quot; IBRiS chief Marcin Duma wrote in a commentary summing up the survey results.&nbsp; 
 
As non-citizens, the vast majority of Poles in Britain are not entitled to vote in Thursday&#39;s referendum. 
 
Seeking a better life, Poles were the largest group of migrants to head to Britain after the EU&#39;s 2004 &#39;Big Bang&#39; eastern expansion. 
 
Unlike other western EU members who kept up employment restrictions, Britain fully opened its labour market to EU newcomers from the east. 
 
The IBRiS survey also found that nearly 80 percent of Polish migrants agreed with reforms pushed through by conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron to limit their child benefits, a hot-button issue in the referendum. 
 
The IBRiS survey results were published on Sunday by the Polish Press Agency and the Polish Onet.pl website.&nbsp; 
(AFP)

80 per of 800,000 Poles living in Britain want to stay even if it leaves the EU, more than half intend to apply for citizenship

Eighty per cent of the estimated 800,000 Poles living in Britain want to stay there even if it leaves the EU, while just three per cent want to return home, a poll published Sunday said. More than half of the Polish migrants surveyed by Poland's IBRiS pollsters also said they intend to apply for British citizenship. The study conducted from June 1517 is the largest ever involving Polish migrants in Britain, which could vote to leave the EU in a referendum on Thursday. A further 10 per cent of Polish migrants said they would move to another EU state if a Brexit meant they would have to leave Britain. "Almost nobody wants to leave Britain," IBRiS chief Marcin Duma wrote in a commentary summing up the survey results. As non-citizens, the vast majority of Poles in Britain are not entitled to vote in Thursday's referendum. Seeking a better life, Poles were the largest group of migrants to head to Britain after the EU's 2004 'Big Bang' eastern expansion. Unlike other western EU members who kept up employment restrictions, Britain fully opened its labour market to EU newcomers from the east. The IBRiS survey also found that nearly 80 percent of Polish migrants agreed with reforms pushed through by conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron to limit their child benefits, a hot-button issue in the referendum. The IBRiS survey results were published on Sunday by the Polish Press Agency and the Polish Onet.pl website. (AFP)

Poles want to stay in UK regardless of 'Brexit': Polish survey

<div style="text-align: justify;">The campaign to keep Britain in the European Union regained its lead in two opinion polls published on Saturday, giving a boost to Prime Minister David Cameron who is battling to avoid a historic &quot;Leave&quot; vote in Thursday&#39;s referendum. 
 
A third poll also showed a change in momentum in favour of the &quot;Remain&quot; camp and Cameron got the backing of a leading newspaper when the right-leaning Mail on Sunday urged its readers to vote to remain in the EU. 
 
&quot;We are now in the final week of the referendum campaign and the swing back towards the status quo appears to be in full force,&quot; Anthony Wells, a director with polling firm, YouGov, said. 
 
Financial markets around the world are on edge ahead of the June 23 referendum. Recent polls showing the &quot;Leave&quot; camp in the lead have weakened Sterling and helped wipe billions of Pounds off stock markets as investors worried not only about the hit to Britain&#39;s economy and its trading partners, but also about the implications of a so-called Brexit for the EU&#39;s future. 
 
A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times newspaper showed support for Britain staying in the EU had restored a narrow 44-43 per cent lead over the &quot;Leave&quot; campaign. 
 
That poll was based on interviews conducted on Thursday and Friday, but the Sunday Times said the shift did not reflect the fatal attack on a British lawmaker on Thursday which led to the suspension of referendum campaigning. 
 
Instead, the bounce in support for &quot;Remain&quot; was more a reflection of growing concerns among voters about the economic impact of a so-called Brexit, it said. 
 
Cameron and his finance minister, George Osborne, have tried repeatedly to focus voters on the economic risks of leaving the EU&#39;s single market, pointing to forecasts of a hit from the International Monetary Fund, the Bank of England and most private economists. 
 
Campaigning&nbsp;set&nbsp;to&nbsp;resume 
 
Another YouGov poll reported on Saturday but based on surveys conducted on Wednesday and Thursday showed the lead of the &quot;Leave&quot; campaign had narrowed to two points from as wide as seven points less than a week ago. 
 
A third poll on Saturday, by polling firm Survation, gave the &quot;Remain&quot; campaign a three-point lead, reversing a similar lead for &quot;Leave&quot; in a Survation poll published as recently as on Thursday. 
 
A fourth poll, by Opinium, showed the two camp were running neck and neck with 44 per cent support each. That poll was conducted between Tuesday and Friday. 
 
While Cameron got support from the Mail on Sunday&#39;s backing of the &quot;Remain&quot; campaign, its rival The Sunday Times, which sells around half the number of copies as the Mail on Sunday, said it was backing the &quot;Leave&quot; campaign. 
 
The Sunday Times urged voters to vote to leave the EU as a way to press for deeper reform which might make the bloc more acceptable for Britain to actually remain in after a second referendum, an idea floated by &quot;Leave&quot; campaigner Boris Johnson. 
 
But Cameron told the newspaper that there would no second chance to decide Britain&#39;s role in Europe. &quot;This is an irreversible decision with very bad consequences for the British economy,&quot; he said in an interview. 
 
Campaigning was due to resume today&nbsp;after a suspension lasting more than two days following the fatal attack on lawmaker Jo Cox, a member of the opposition Labour Party and a strong supporter of Britain staying in the EU. 
 
The man charged with her murder, Thomas Mair, gave his name as &quot;death to traitors, freedom for Britain&quot; when he appeared in court on Saturday. 
(Reuters)</div>

Cameron is fighting for Britain's stay with EU and believes the "irreversible decision" will have bad consequences for the British economy

The campaign to keep Britain in the European Union regained its lead in two opinion polls published on Saturday, giving a boost to Prime Minister David Cameron who is battling to avoid a historic "Leave" vote in Thursday's referendum. A third poll also showed a change in momentum in favour of the "Remain" camp and Cameron got the backing of a leading newspaper when the right-leaning Mail on Sunday urged its readers to vote to remain in the EU. "We are now in the final week of the referendum campaign and the swing back towards the status quo appears to be in full force," Anthony Wells, a director with polling firm, YouGov, said. Financial markets around the world are on edge ahead of the June 23 referendum. Recent polls showing the "Leave" camp in the lead have weakened Sterling and helped wipe billions of Pounds off stock markets as investors worried not only about the hit to Britain's economy and its trading partners, but also about the implications of a so-called Brexit for the EU's future. A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times newspaper showed support for Britain staying in the EU had restored a narrow 44-43 per cent lead over the "Leave" campaign. That poll was based on interviews conducted on Thursday and Friday, but the Sunday Times said the shift did not reflect the fatal attack on a British lawmaker on Thursday which led to the suspension of referendum campaigning. Instead, the bounce in support for "Remain" was more a reflection of growing concerns among voters about the economic impact of a so-called Brexit, it said. Cameron and his finance minister, George Osborne, have tried repeatedly to focus voters on the economic risks of leaving the EU's single market, pointing to forecasts of a hit from the International Monetary Fund, the Bank of England and most private economists. Campaigning set to resume Another YouGov poll reported on Saturday but based on surveys conducted on Wednesday and Thursday showed the lead of the "Leave" campaign had narrowed to two points from as wide as seven points less than a week ago. A third poll on Saturday, by polling firm Survation, gave the "Remain" campaign a three-point lead, reversing a similar lead for "Leave" in a Survation poll published as recently as on Thursday. A fourth poll, by Opinium, showed the two camp were running neck and neck with 44 per cent support each. That poll was conducted between Tuesday and Friday. While Cameron got support from the Mail on Sunday's backing of the "Remain" campaign, its rival The Sunday Times, which sells around half the number of copies as the Mail on Sunday, said it was backing the "Leave" campaign. The Sunday Times urged voters to vote to leave the EU as a way to press for deeper reform which might make the bloc more acceptable for Britain to actually remain in after a second referendum, an idea floated by "Leave" campaigner Boris Johnson. But Cameron told the newspaper that there would no second chance to decide Britain's role in Europe. "This is an irreversible decision with very bad consequences for the British economy," he said in an interview. Campaigning was due to resume today after a suspension lasting more than two days following the fatal attack on lawmaker Jo Cox, a member of the opposition Labour Party and a strong supporter of Britain staying in the EU. The man charged with her murder, Thomas Mair, gave his name as "death to traitors, freedom for Britain" when he appeared in court on Saturday. (Reuters)

'Remain' campaign gets lead in UK opinion polls

<div style="text-align: justify;">Reeling from the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, the EU referendum campaign&nbsp;resumed on Sunday, with just four days to go until the critical vote that will shape Britain&#39;s future. 
 
The Remain and Leave camps suspended campaign&nbsp;for three days after the killing of Cox on Thursday. A 52-year-old man has appeared in court charged with her murder. 
 
The polls too close to call, leaders were to hit the television studios on Sunday to begin their final push for votes. 
 
Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants Britain to stay in the European Union, said the country was facing an &quot;an existential choice&quot; from which there would be &quot;no turning back&quot;. 
 
Meanwhile Britain&#39;s Sunday newspapers picked sides in their final editions before the referendum. 
 
The Mail on Sunday and The Observer gave their support to the Remain camp, while The Sunday Times and The Sunday Telegraph broadsheets backed quitting the EU. 
 
Resuming the campaign, Cameron said the British economy &quot;hangs in the balance&quot;, with trade and investment set to suffer in the event of a Leave vote and a &quot;probable recession&quot; that would leave the UK &quot;permanently poorer&quot;. 
 
&quot;If you&#39;re not sure, don&#39;t take the risk of leaving. If you don&#39;t know, don&#39;t go,&quot; he wrote in The Sunday Telegraph. 
 
&quot;If we were to leave and it quickly turned out to be a big mistake, there wouldn&#39;t be a way of changing our minds and having another go. This is it.&quot; 
 
Cameron, finance minister George Osborne and opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, from the Remain camp, were all set for major TV appearances on Sunday. 
 
Meanwhile Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, was set to do the same for the Leave camp. 
 
Remain poll rise after murder 
 
The What UK Thinks website&#39;s average of the last six polls, conducted between June 10 and Saturday, put the Remain and Leave camps absolutely level on 50-50, excluding undecided voters. 
 
The Leave camp had been a few percentage points ahead in recent polling, but fresh surveys showing a rise in support for remaining brought the average neck-and-neck. 
 
They included the first carried out since Cox&#39;s murder: a Survation poll on Friday and Saturday that put the Remain on 45 per cent and Leave on 42 per cent. 
 
The results were the reverse on Survation&#39;s Thursday poll, which had Leave ahead by 45 to 42. 
 
Labour MP Cox had campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU. 
 
She was shot and stabbed in the street in what police called a &quot;targeted&quot; daylight attack in her constituency. 
 
Cox&#39;s alleged killer Thomas Mair said &quot;Death to traitors, freedom for Britain&quot; when asked to give his name at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Saturday. 
 
He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on Monday at England&#39;s central criminal court, and a psychiatric report has been requested. 
 
Cox, 41, is survived by her husband Brendan and their children Lejla, five, and three-year-old Cuillin. 
 
The murder, the first of a sitting British member of parliament since 1990, sent shockwaves around the world, drawing tributes from leaders including US President Barack Obama. 
 
A fund created in Cox&#39;s memory by her friends and family has raised more than $820,000&nbsp;for charities close to her heart. 
 
Weekly newspapers split 
 
In making their decisions, Britain&#39;s Sunday newspapers tried to sway their readers in how to vote. 
 
The Mail On Sunday warned it was &quot;not the time to risk the peace and prosperity&quot; of the UK. 
 
&quot;Our deepest desires must somehow be moderated to suit the increasingly tough reality of a competitive world,&quot; the tabloid said. 
 
&quot;Those who would have you believe in the plucky Little England of the past are selling a dangerous illusion.&quot; 
 
The Observer said: &quot;For an international, liberal and open Britain, we need to be part of the EU.&quot; 
 
The choice was between &quot;going it alone&quot; or a &quot;messy, imperfect collective&quot;, but &quot;outside the EU, our role in the world would be diminished.&quot; 
 
The Sunday Telegraph, meanwhile, backed Brexit, declaring that the EU &quot;belongs to the past&quot;. 
 
&quot;The Leave campaign has articulated an ambitious vision for Britain as an independent nation, once again free to make its own decisions,&quot; it said. 
 
The Sunday Times said &quot;Yes, we must be prepared for difficulties, but we should hold our nerve&quot; in voting Leave. 
 
&quot;This vote may be the only opportunity we shall ever have to call a halt to the onward march of the centralising European project. 
 
&quot;We can help our friends face a better future.&quot; 
(AFP)</div>

Sunday newspapers picked sides in their final editions before the referendum. 'Plucky Little England' no longer the way ahead, said The Mail

Reeling from the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, the EU referendum campaign resumed on Sunday, with just four days to go until the critical vote that will shape Britain's future. The Remain and Leave camps suspended campaign for three days after the killing of Cox on Thursday. A 52-year-old man has appeared in court charged with her murder. The polls too close to call, leaders were to hit the television studios on Sunday to begin their final push for votes. Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants Britain to stay in the European Union, said the country was facing an "an existential choice" from which there would be "no turning back". Meanwhile Britain's Sunday newspapers picked sides in their final editions before the referendum. The Mail on Sunday and The Observer gave their support to the Remain camp, while The Sunday Times and The Sunday Telegraph broadsheets backed quitting the EU. Resuming the campaign, Cameron said the British economy "hangs in the balance", with trade and investment set to suffer in the event of a Leave vote and a "probable recession" that would leave the UK "permanently poorer". "If you're not sure, don't take the risk of leaving. If you don't know, don't go," he wrote in The Sunday Telegraph. "If we were to leave and it quickly turned out to be a big mistake, there wouldn't be a way of changing our minds and having another go. This is it." Cameron, finance minister George Osborne and opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, from the Remain camp, were all set for major TV appearances on Sunday. Meanwhile Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, was set to do the same for the Leave camp. Remain poll rise after murder The What UK Thinks website's average of the last six polls, conducted between June 10 and Saturday, put the Remain and Leave camps absolutely level on 50-50, excluding undecided voters. The Leave camp had been a few percentage points ahead in recent polling, but fresh surveys showing a rise in support for remaining brought the average neck-and-neck. They included the first carried out since Cox's murder: a Survation poll on Friday and Saturday that put the Remain on 45 per cent and Leave on 42 per cent. The results were the reverse on Survation's Thursday poll, which had Leave ahead by 45 to 42. Labour MP Cox had campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU. She was shot and stabbed in the street in what police called a "targeted" daylight attack in her constituency. Cox's alleged killer Thomas Mair said "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain" when asked to give his name at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Saturday. He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on Monday at England's central criminal court, and a psychiatric report has been requested. Cox, 41, is survived by her husband Brendan and their children Lejla, five, and three-year-old Cuillin. The murder, the first of a sitting British member of parliament since 1990, sent shockwaves around the world, drawing tributes from leaders including US President Barack Obama. A fund created in Cox's memory by her friends and family has raised more than $820,000 for charities close to her heart. Weekly newspapers split In making their decisions, Britain's Sunday newspapers tried to sway their readers in how to vote. The Mail On Sunday warned it was "not the time to risk the peace and prosperity" of the UK. "Our deepest desires must somehow be moderated to suit the increasingly tough reality of a competitive world," the tabloid said. "Those who would have you believe in the plucky Little England of the past are selling a dangerous illusion." The Observer said: "For an international, liberal and open Britain, we need to be part of the EU." The choice was between "going it alone" or a "messy, imperfect collective", but "outside the EU, our role in the world would be diminished." The Sunday Telegraph, meanwhile, backed Brexit, declaring that the EU "belongs to the past". "The Leave campaign has articulated an ambitious vision for Britain as an independent nation, once again free to make its own decisions," it said. The Sunday Times said "Yes, we must be prepared for difficulties, but we should hold our nerve" in voting Leave. "This vote may be the only opportunity we shall ever have to call a halt to the onward march of the centralising European project. "We can help our friends face a better future." (AFP)

'If you don't know, don't go,' Cameron says as Brexit campaign resumes

A British member of parliament was shot dead in the street on Thursday, causing deep shock across Britain and the suspension of campaigning for next week&#39;s referendum on the country&#39;s EU membership. 
 
Jo Cox, 41, a lawmaker for the opposition Labour Party and a vocal advocate for Britain remaining in the European Union, was attacked while preparing to meet constituents in Birstall near Leeds in northern England. 
 
Media reports said she had been shot and stabbed. West Yorkshire regional police said a 52-year-old man was arrested by officers nearby and weapons including a firearm recovered. &quot;We are not in a position to discuss any motive at this time,&quot; said temporary chief constable Dee Collins. 
 
One witness said a man pulled an old or makeshift gun from a bag and fired twice. &quot;I saw a lady on the floor like on the beach with her arms straight and her knees up and blood all over the face,&quot; Hichem Ben-Abdallah told reporters. &quot;She wasn&#39;t making any noise, but clearly she was in agony.&quot; 
 
The lawmaker&#39;s husband Brendan said: &quot;She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now: one, that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her.&quot; 
 
The rival referendum campaign groups said they were suspending activities for the day, with the Remain camp saying its activities would also be suspended today. Prime Minister David Cameron said he would pull out of a planned rally in Gibraltar, the British territory on the southern coast of Spain. 
 
Cameron said the killing of the mother-of-two, who had worked on US President Barack Obama&#39;s 2008 election campaign, was a tragedy. 
 
&quot;We have lost a great star,&quot; the Conservative Prime Minister said. &quot;She was a great campaigning MP with huge compassion, with a big heart. It is dreadful, dreadful news.&quot; 
 
It was not immediately clear what the impact would be on the June 23 referendum, which has polarised the nation into pro- and anti-EU camps. But some analysts speculated it could boost the pro-EU &quot;Remain&quot; campaign, which in recent days has fallen behind the &quot;Leave&quot; camp in opinion polls. 
 
Britain&#39;s sterling currency rose against the Dollar after news of the attack, adding around two cents. 
 
Finance minister George Osborne and Bank of England governor Mark Carney scrapped major speeches planned for Thursday evening and the International Monetary Fund said it had delayed the publication of a report on the British economy. 
 
&#39;HORRIFIC MURDER&#39; 
 
Media reports, citing witnesses, said the attacker had shouted out &quot;Britain first&quot;, which is the name of a right-wing nationalist group that describes itself on its website as &quot;a patriotic political party and street defence organisation&quot;. 
 
But the deputy leader of the group, Jayda Fransen, completely distanced it from the attack, which she described as &quot;absolutely disgusting&quot;. 
 
West Yorkshire&#39;s elected police and crime commissioner said &quot;our information is that this is a localised incident, albeit one that has a much wider impact&quot;. 
Gun ownership is highly restricted in Britain, and attacks of any nature on public figures are rare.&nbsp; 
Britain&#39;s Union Jack flag was flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament in London, while in Birstall hundreds of people attended a vigil at a local church. 
 
Colleagues expressed their shock and disbelief at the death of Cox, a Cambridge University graduate who had spent a decade working for aid agency Oxfam in roles including head of humanitarian campaigning and was known for her work on women&#39;s issues. 
 
She won election to parliament for northern England&#39;s Batley and Spen district at the 2015 general election, and lived with her husband and children on a traditional Dutch barge moored on the Thames near the Tower of London. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve lost a wonderful woman, we&#39;ve lost a wonderful member of parliament, but our democracy will go on,&quot; Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a televised statement. &quot;As we mourn her memory, we&#39;ll work in her memory to achieve that better world she spent her life trying to achieve.&quot; 
 
Labour lawmaker Sarah Champion said: &quot;She&#39;s a tiny woman, five feet nothing and a lion as well - she fights so hard for the things she believes in. I cannot believe anyone would do this to her.&quot; 
 
Police said a 77-year-old man was also assaulted in the incident and suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. 
 
BBC TV and other media showed a picture of the alleged suspect, a balding white man, being apprehended by police. Temporary &nbsp;chief constable Collins said a &quot;very significant investigation with large numbers of witnesses&quot; was under way. 
 
&quot;We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident,&quot; she said. 
 
The last attack on a British legislator was in 2010, when Labour member and ex-cabinet minister Stephen Timms was stabbed in the stomach at his office in east London by a 21-year-old student who was angry over his backing for the 2003 Iraq war. 
 
In 2000, a Liberal Democrat local councillor was murdered by a man with a samurai sword at the offices in western England of lawmaker Nigel Jones, who was also seriously hurt in the attack.

Analysts speculate that this tragedy could boost the pro-EU "Remain" camp , which had fallen behind to the "Leave" camp in opinion polls

A British member of parliament was shot dead in the street on Thursday, causing deep shock across Britain and the suspension of campaigning for next week's referendum on the country's EU membership. Jo Cox, 41, a lawmaker for the opposition Labour Party and a vocal advocate for Britain remaining in the European Union, was attacked while preparing to meet constituents in Birstall near Leeds in northern England. Media reports said she had been shot and stabbed. West Yorkshire regional police said a 52-year-old man was arrested by officers nearby and weapons including a firearm recovered. "We are not in a position to discuss any motive at this time," said temporary chief constable Dee Collins. One witness said a man pulled an old or makeshift gun from a bag and fired twice. "I saw a lady on the floor like on the beach with her arms straight and her knees up and blood all over the face," Hichem Ben-Abdallah told reporters. "She wasn't making any noise, but clearly she was in agony." The lawmaker's husband Brendan said: "She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now: one, that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her." The rival referendum campaign groups said they were suspending activities for the day, with the Remain camp saying its activities would also be suspended today. Prime Minister David Cameron said he would pull out of a planned rally in Gibraltar, the British territory on the southern coast of Spain. Cameron said the killing of the mother-of-two, who had worked on US President Barack Obama's 2008 election campaign, was a tragedy. "We have lost a great star," the Conservative Prime Minister said. "She was a great campaigning MP with huge compassion, with a big heart. It is dreadful, dreadful news." It was not immediately clear what the impact would be on the June 23 referendum, which has polarised the nation into pro- and anti-EU camps. But some analysts speculated it could boost the pro-EU "Remain" campaign, which in recent days has fallen behind the "Leave" camp in opinion polls. Britain's sterling currency rose against the Dollar after news of the attack, adding around two cents. Finance minister George Osborne and Bank of England governor Mark Carney scrapped major speeches planned for Thursday evening and the International Monetary Fund said it had delayed the publication of a report on the British economy. 'HORRIFIC MURDER' Media reports, citing witnesses, said the attacker had shouted out "Britain first", which is the name of a right-wing nationalist group that describes itself on its website as "a patriotic political party and street defence organisation". But the deputy leader of the group, Jayda Fransen, completely distanced it from the attack, which she described as "absolutely disgusting". West Yorkshire's elected police and crime commissioner said "our information is that this is a localised incident, albeit one that has a much wider impact". Gun ownership is highly restricted in Britain, and attacks of any nature on public figures are rare. Britain's Union Jack flag was flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament in London, while in Birstall hundreds of people attended a vigil at a local church. Colleagues expressed their shock and disbelief at the death of Cox, a Cambridge University graduate who had spent a decade working for aid agency Oxfam in roles including head of humanitarian campaigning and was known for her work on women's issues. She won election to parliament for northern England's Batley and Spen district at the 2015 general election, and lived with her husband and children on a traditional Dutch barge moored on the Thames near the Tower of London. "We've lost a wonderful woman, we've lost a wonderful member of parliament, but our democracy will go on," Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a televised statement. "As we mourn her memory, we'll work in her memory to achieve that better world she spent her life trying to achieve." Labour lawmaker Sarah Champion said: "She's a tiny woman, five feet nothing and a lion as well - she fights so hard for the things she believes in. I cannot believe anyone would do this to her." Police said a 77-year-old man was also assaulted in the incident and suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. BBC TV and other media showed a picture of the alleged suspect, a balding white man, being apprehended by police. Temporary chief constable Collins said a "very significant investigation with large numbers of witnesses" was under way. "We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident," she said. The last attack on a British legislator was in 2010, when Labour member and ex-cabinet minister Stephen Timms was stabbed in the stomach at his office in east London by a 21-year-old student who was angry over his backing for the 2003 Iraq war. In 2000, a Liberal Democrat local councillor was murdered by a man with a samurai sword at the offices in western England of lawmaker Nigel Jones, who was also seriously hurt in the attack.

British lawmaker shot dead, EU referendum campaigns suspended

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