A female Labour MP has been shot twice after she stepped in when two men were seen fighting in the street while she was out campaigning. Jo Cox, MP for Batley and Spen, was speaking to locals in Birstall near Leeds when the scuffle broke out. She is now in a critical condition in hospital.
An eyewitness said: 'He was fighting with her and wrestling with her and then the gun went off twice and then she fell between two cars and I came and saw her bleeding on the floor.'
Others claimed the man shouted 'Britain First' during the scuffle. The shocking incident took place near the town's library where the 41-year-old politician held advice surgeries. The MP was airlifted to Leeds General hospital where she is now said to be in a 'critical condition'.
Campaigning for the EU referendum by Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave has been suspended for the day after the attack on Ms Cox. Hichem Ben-Abdallah, the owner of a nearby restaurant, said he saw a 'river of people' come screaming down the road after the attack.
He told The Yorkshire Post: 'A lady was down on the floor. The man pulled a gun - it was a makeshift gun, not like something you see on television.
'After the second shot I turned and ran. He walked away very calmly, down the steps. Nobody stopped him - he had a gun.'
Aamir Tahir, of The Dry Clean Centre, said the gunman was heard shouting 'Britain first'.
He said: 'The lady I work with heard two loud bangs.
'I wish I was there because I would have tried to stop him. Apparently the guy who did it shouted "Britain first" and if I had been there I would have tackled him.'
Daniel Blyth, a company director from Birstall, told the paper he saw seven police cars 'racing up' the road to the scene. See more photos from the scene.
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