Killing of anti-Brexit lawmaker arouses global reaction

It remains unknown about what kind of impact Cox's death would have on the referendum. But some analysts say it could boost the pro-EU "remain" campaign, which in recent days has fallen behind the "leave" camp in pre-referendum polls.

The latest IPSOS-Mori poll puts the "leave" voters at a six-point lead, despite the most intensive campaigning by the "remain" camp over the past few days.

With just a week to go before 43 million Britons decide whether Britain is to stay in or leave the 28-member bloc, Thursday had been slated as a busy day to win over the millions still undecided.

Earlier, the leaders of Britain's 10 biggest provincial cities joined forces Thursday to warn that leaving the EU would pose a grave threat to a number of local economies.

The Core Cities Group includes Britain's biggest provincial city, Birmingham, as well as Glasgow and the Welsh capital of Cardiff.

Many British cities have been the recipients of Brussels funding through European regional development funds.

Leaders of the 10 cities said in a joint statement: "Leaving would be a grave threat to our local economies, risking people's jobs and livelihoods. If we vote for Brexit, it will be those at the sharp end -- working people -- not the leaders of the leave campaign, who will pay the price. A vote to leave is a vote for serious economic danger. It is simply not worth the risk."

They said membership in the EU had created 63,000 jobs and protected another 16,800 across the 10 city regions, and provided 2.54 billion U.S. dollars of investment to help grow urban economies.

Also signing the statement were the leaders of Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.

The focus of the campaign had been the north of England, a traditional Labour stronghold where the canvassing of party members showed strong support for leaving the EU.

Labour's Jeremy Corbyn on a visit to the north said Thursday many Labour voters backing Brexit "haven't understood" the benefits of the EU.

A vote to leave could also hit global markets, according to a warning issued Thursday by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.

In its statement issued Thursday, the bank said a vote to leave the EU could materially alter the outlook for output and inflation, and therefore the appropriate setting of monetary policy.