THE husband of murdered Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox is writing a memoir celebrating her life which will be published in time for the anniversary of the 41-year-old's death in June.

More In Common will be released on June 15, on the eve of the first anniversary of Mrs Cox's death.

The book is described by the publisher as a "moving and impassioned portrait of Jo", who was murdered as she arrived for a surgery in Birstall.

Brendan Cox said her loss had left his life "more hectic than ever before", as the civil society campaigner became a single parent to their two young children and the focus of public interest.

"I wanted to write about Jo, but felt doing so was probably impossible because of all the pressures on my time," he told a national newspaper.

"What I hadn't factored in was lack of sleep. Sleeping used to be one of the things I was best at, but since June that is no longer true.

"I often wake at 4am or even 3am nowadays and am unable to get back to sleep. So this book is very much the product of sleep deprivation."

In the memoir Mr Cox says: "Today is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.

"More difficult, more painful, less joyful, less full of love. I and Jo's friends and family are going to work every moment of our lives to love and nurture our kids and to fight against the hate that killed Jo.

"Jo believed in a better world and fought for it every day of her life with an energy and a zest for life that would exhaust most people."

Far-right extremist Thomas Mair was handed a whole life sentence in November for the murder. The 53-year-old shouted "Britain first" as he fired three shots at the Remain campaigner and stabbed her 15 times, a week before the EU referendum was held.