Lawmakers remember Jo Cox as markets sense rising EU support

LONDON (AP) — Britain's normally raucous House of Commons was given over to tears, roses and warm tributes Monday as legislators urged an end to angry and divisive politics in honor of their slain colleague Jo Cox, who was killed last week.

The British pound and global stock markets surged as shock at the death of the pro-Europe Cox seemed to sap momentum from campaigners fighting for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

The market surge suggested growing investor confidence that the uncertainty associated with a "leave" vote in Thursday's referendum would be avoided.

Mair's motivation is unknown, but the slaying raised concerns about the often vitriolic tone of the referendum campaign, which has exposed bitter divisions about immigration and national identity in Britain.

Lawmakers called back from recess for a special session in Cox's memory urged what Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called "a kinder, gentler politics" in the wake of her death.

U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, a leading figure in the "leave" camp, defended the poster, released just hours before Cox's death, saying it was intended "to point out that the EU is a failed project in every sense."