Jo Cox to be honoured with public space named after her in Brussels

City council to pay tribute to MP as part of scheme to honour notable women

Jo Cox worked in Brussels for six years before becoming an MP (Rex)

The City of Brussels has announced it will name a public space after Jo Cox.

The Labour MP, who was stabbed and shot to death outside her constituency office in June shortly before the EU referendum, worked in Brussels for six years before becoming an MP.

The Yorkshire politician campaigned in favour of remaining in the EU and took part in the protest against the “Brexit flotilla” outside the Houses of Parliament the day before her death.

On Thursday, Brussels City Council officials announced they had added her name to the list of prominent female politicians, artists, writers, scientists and athletes with links to the area who will have streets, squares and buildings named after them in the city.

The initiative was originally launched in September 2014 to promote greater gender equality in the Belgian capital.

Commenting on the move, the secretary general of the European Women’s Lobby, Johanna Maycock, said: “Jo was a close friend and exactly the kind of person that we want to see in politics: an extraordinary feminist, brilliant and fearless.

“She was motivated by a passion for women’s rights and social justice and held the conviction that we can and we must fight for a better, more just and more egalitarian world”.

It comes after Ms Cox was posthumously awarded a joint peace prize by the Rising Global Peace Forum shared with the White Helmets – a volunteer force saving the lives of civilians in rebel-held Syria.

Speaking about the award, which will presented by former Archbishop Desmond Tutu during a ceremony in Coventry this week, her husband Brendan Cox said: “Jo was inspired by the White Helmets because they personified some of the best about humankind in some of the worst circumstances.

“These are the people who run towards danger when others run away.

“Jo worked on Syria for many years and she focused on it not because it was high profile but because it was the clearest case in the world of where civilians were at risk and the international community was ignoring their plight, saving up all sorts of problems for itself in the future.”

Thomas Mair is currently standing trial for her murder in Birstall, West Yorkshire on 16 June. He denies the charges.