John Hannett – Usdaw General Secretary says: “It is truly shocking to hear the news that Jo Cox MP was murdered on the streets of her constituency. Our thoughts are with Jo’s family and friends.

“Usdaw was proud to have nominated Jo as the Labour candidate in Batley and Spen, she was a true friend of the union and a very hardworking MP. We, amongst many others, will miss Jo. Her death will send shockwaves throughout the political world and wider community.”

Notes for editors:

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fourth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the Union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.

For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion