The MP for East Ham last night paid tributes to colleague Jo Cox after she was stabbed and shot to death in “very similiar circumstances” to the attack on him six years ago.

Stephen Timms praised “a wonderful MP, and a wonderful person” after the Labour MP for Batley and Spen was attacked after leaving a constituency surgery in West Yorkshire at around 1pm yesterday afternoon.

The 41-year-old died an hour after the attack outside the public library in Birstall, leaving huband Brendan and two children, aged three and five.

Stephen Timms, 60, said he was “shocked and appalled by the terrible news”.

“Jo was a wonderful MP, and a wonderful person. I – and everybody else – had been very impressed since her election last year.”

“The circumstances appear very similar to those when I was attacked six years ago.”

Mr Timms was stabbed twice in the stomach at a constituency event in May 2010, while holding a surgery at the Beckton Globe Library.

His attacker, a then 21-year-old student Roshonara Choudhry, of Central Park Road, East Ham, was jailed for a minimum of 15 years.

He added: “I would like to express deepest condolences to Jo’s husband Brendan and their family. Although details remain unclear, it seems Jo was simply carrying out her job on behalf of her constituents.”

A 52-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the attack.