LABOUR MP Yvette Cooper said that it was "very troubling" to hear about party activists being attacked in Batley and Spen.

She told this morning's BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it was "particularly distressing" that it was happening in the constituency where MP Jo Cox was murdered.

She added: "This is very troubling, there seems to be a temperature in this campaign that we have not seen in previous by-elections, certainly in West Yorkshire more widely.

"Obviously it's particularly distressing for it to happen in a constituency where we lost Jo Cox five years ago to a far-right extremist and where also Kim Leadbeater, Jo's sister, is brave and strong in standing to be the MP and I think for this to happen there obviously makes it much harder.

"I don't think that this represents the people of Batley and Spen and we have had lots of warm conversations on the doorstep as well."

The 16 candidates for the Batley & Spen by-election are: Paul Bickerdike (Christian People’s Alliance); Mike Davies (Alliance For Green Socialism); Jayda Fransen (Independent); George Galloway (Workers Party); Thomas Gordon (Liberal Democrats); Therese Hirst (English Democrats); Howling Laud Hope (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party); Susan Laird (Heritage Party); Kim Leadbeater (Labour Party); Oliver Purser (Social Democratic Party); Corey Robinson (Yorkshire Party); Andrew Smith (Rejoin EU); Ryan Stephenson (Conservative); Jack Thomson (Ukip); Jonathan Tilt (Freedom Alliance); Anne Marie Waters (The For Britain Movement).