LABOUR party has announced that sister of murdered British lawmaker Jo Cox has been chosen to stand in an upcoming byelection in northern England.
Kim Leadbeater, 44, will contest in Batley and Spen, the Yorkshire constituency where her late sister represented at the time of her death in 2016.
When Cox was on her way to meet constituents in the town of Birstall, she was shot and stabbed multiple times by a far-right man during the febrile campaign ahead of Britain's referendum on leaving the European Union.
Cox was the first female lawmaker to be murdered in the UK and the first MP murdered since the IRA assassination of Ian Gow in 1990.
"I feel passionately about the strength there is in such a diverse constituency," Leadbeater said.
The need for a byelection in the northern seat was required by the departure of the incumbent Labour MP Tracy Brabin after she was elected the first mayor of West Yorkshire during local elections earlier this month.
The upcoming poll in a traditional constituency would prove to be another crucial test for Labour leader Keir Starmer, after the party lost a byelection in Hartlepool earlier this month.
"Batley and Spen holds an important place in the Labour Party's heart. And Kim's work to bring people together, just as her sister Jo Cox did, has inspired us all," Starmer said.
He added Leadbeater would be a "fantastic champion" for the constituency.
Clifford had previously denied killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters, Louise Hunt, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads guilty to crossbow murders of BBC presenter’s family
A 26-YEAR-OLD man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to murdering two daughters of a BBC sports commentator and stabbing to death their mother in a crossbow attack.
Kyle Clifford had previously denied killing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters, Louise Hunt, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28.
However, appearing via video link at Cambridge Crown Court in eastern England, Clifford changed his pleas.
The court heard that Clifford tied up Louise Hunt, his former partner, binding her arms and ankles with duct tape before shooting her in the chest with a crossbow at the family home last July.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one count of false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons. However, Clifford denied raping Louise.
The murders took place at the family home in the commuter town of Bushey, near Watford, northwest of London.
Clifford was arrested in July following a manhunt after the bodies of the three women were discovered.
(With inputs from AFP)