However, this hasn’t stopped both the “leave” and “remain” camps from trawling out a myriad of statistics to back up their claims over the impact a Brexit would have on the economy.
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Cox’s death nearly overshadowed news that the Bank of Japan held off from further easing monetary policy, a non-move that caused the yen to spike across the board.
“I would want to reassure our European partners that this is not something they should regard as a hostile act”, said Miles Young, chairman of advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, part of British group WPP.
“He shot this lady once and then he shot her again, he fell to the floor, leant over shot her once more in the face area”, he told the BBC.
The latest surveys resonate with the opinion polls in the past week by ORB, ICM, and YouGov, which also show the Vote Leave campaign gaining ground over Remain.
They also revealed plans for six new bills created to present an alternative manifesto for the UK’s future if it leaves the union. Spanish media said it is the first visit to Gibraltar by a British premier in almost 50 years. Both have issued warnings that a United Kingdom exit would lead to market volatility and uncertainty, and job losses.
Finance ministers from the 19 European Union states using the euro currency met in Luxembourg on Thursday but their chairman, Dutch minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said they would not discuss any contingency plans for Brexit.
But he added: “The EU will survive, I have no doubt – it is still much easier to survive when you are 27 member states than completely alone”.
Merkel added that “of course, that decision is up to the citizens of Great Britain”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday urged British politicians to moderate the language used in their campaigns ahead of the Brexit vote, after a popular pro-Europe MP was murdered.
Today’s Survation poll was gathered on Friday and Saturday as the nation mourned Mrs Cox and showed Remain on 45 per cent with Leave on 42 per cent.
The Millward Brown Ulster poll puts the Remain side on 48 per cent, with Leave on 32 per cent and a further 20 per cent still undecided as the campaign enters its final days.
Analysts said market anxiety about a possible Brexit eased after the tragedy.
The International Monetary Fund also warned that a vote to leave would rattle markets and weigh on economic growth.
Sterling was flat on the day against the dollar at $1.4200 GBP= after trading lower for most of the session.
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The precious metal, whose twin drivers are investment buying and jewellery demand, surged Thursday to US$1,315.71 an ounce – the highest since August 2014. These countries benefit least from their membership.
