A white supremacist and "terrorist" has been found guilty of killing Labour MP Jo Cox in a “planned and pre-meditated murder” in the run-up to the EU referendum.

Thomas Mair was convicted by a jury of murdering the 41-year-old mother-of-two outside her West Yorkshire constituency surgery.

The court heard how the 53-year-old shouted “Britain first, this is for Britain” over her body after shooting her three times and inflicting 15 stab wounds.

The jury was also told how he kept news articles referencing Ms Cox’s support for the Remain campaign, a Third Reich eagle with a swastika, German military history books and news cuttings reporting on Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik.

Prosecutor Richard Whittam QC, who is a seasoned terrorism lawyer, branded Mair as a terrorist during the trial, but said it was not necessary to prosecute him as a terrorist.

Mair attacked Batley and Spen MP Ms Cox at 1.48pm on 16 June as she arrived for a surgery with constituents at a Birstall public library.

As the 5ft-tall MP was being attacked, she told her personal assistant Fazila Aswat and senior caseworker Sandra Major to “Get away you two. Let him hurt me. Don’t let them hurt you”.

On his arrest, he told police officers he was a "political activist" and when he first appeared before magistrates in London, he responded "death to traitors, freedom for Britain" when he was asked his name.

Mair, who has a history of mental illness but did not want this to form his defence, also stabbed 77-year-old pensioner Bernard Kenny in the stomach when he intervened.

In the days leading up to the killing, he searched online for '.22' ammunition and looked at pages containing the question, 'is a.22 round deadly enough to kill with one shot to a human's head?'.

The trial heard there was a billion to one chance that DNA recovered from the murder weapon came from anyone else.

Prosecutor Richard Whittam QC said in his closing speech: "This was a cowardly attack. He shot her in the head, which was followed by a brutal assault with the dagger.

"Despite the element of surprise, he failed in his first attempt. Perhaps he underestimated her tenacity and courage.

"She pleaded with her two aides to escape, saying, 'let him hurt me, don't let him hurt you'.

"He then attacked her again with the dagger.

"It is our submission that the overall effect of this compellingly establishes the guilt of Thomas Mair as her murderer."

Ms Cox’s husband Brendan appeared at the trial for the first time on Tuesday, when Mair was scheduled to begin his defence, but no defence case was submitted.

The court previously heard how Mair had a White Patriot Party Wikipedia printout and a rune stone in a bag with a BBB White Liberation Movement symbol on it.

The Belgian and European Union capital of Brussels is expected to name a building, street or square after former resident Ms Cox.

Mair, of Lowood Lane, Field Head Estate, Birstall, who had lived on his own for the past 20 years since his grandmother's death, was also found guilty of inflicting GBH with intent, possession of a firearm and possession of a dagger.

He sat largely emotionless throughout the trial, but rolled his eyes as two black jurors were sworn in, and again when a glowing statement was read out from Ms Cox's long time friend Stephen Kinnock MP.

Trial judge Mr Justice Wilkie had flatly refused his legal team's request to bar any Labour activists from the jury panel.

He is yet to be sentenced at the Old Bailey.