Statement from The Jo Cox Foundation

Our Ambassador Kim Leadbeater, sister of Jo Cox, is taking an unpaid leave of absence from the Foundation to pursue the candidacy for the parliamentary seat of Batley & Spen.

The Jo Cox Foundation is committed to working across political divides, and we will maintain that focus in the coming weeks and months. We also fully support the right of everyone to take part in the democratic process.

One of our key areas of work is around promoting respect and civility in public life, and we urge all candidates in the by-election to run a respectful and safe campaign.

We wish Kim and all candidates putting their hat into the ring the best of luck with the campaign.