Killing of Labour Lawmaker Timely for Brexit Stay Campaign – Labour Leave

Killing of the Labour parliamentarian in Britain just a week before the crucial vote on the UK membership in the European Union came too timely for those supporting the Remain campaign, Brendan Chilton, the head of the Labour Leave campaign, told Sputnik.

LONDON (Sputnik) — Jo Cox, a Labour lawmaker and pro-Remain campaigner, was shot and stabbed in the street on Thursday as she held a regular meeting with her constituency in West Yorkshire, a week before the United Kingdom is scheduled to vote in a referendum on whether it should stay in or leave the European Union.

Thomas Mair, 52, has been charged with Cox's murder. Asked by the judge what his name was, he repeated several times "My name is death for traitors, freedom for Britain."

"Yes," said Chilton, asked whether the killing happened suspiciously timely for those who support the Remain campaign.

"What happened was on Thursday, just a week before the referendum," Chilton continued.

He, however, did not want to speculate on who could be behind the murder in this context.

"There is no good timing for anything like this, it's a tragedy. Now we are in the situation where people are respecting the memory," he said.

Chilton stressed also that the murder would change the mood of the debate, with people expected to treat the vote more respectfully.

Voters across the United Kingdom will take part in a referendum on Thursday to decide whether or not the country should exit the European Union.