MPs pay tribute to “hyper-assiduous constituency MP” David Amess

MPs from all parties have today paid tribute to Sir David Amess, who was stabbed to death while hosting a constituency advice surgery on Friday, describing the Conservative politician as a “hyper-assiduous constituency MP”.

Boris Johnson led tributes to the late Essex MP this afternoon, saying Amess was “one of the nicest, kindest and most gentle individuals ever to grace these benches”. The Prime Minister announced that Southend would be awarded city status, which Amess had long campaigned for.

Keir Starmer used his speech in the Commons today to warn that the killing of Amess represented an “attack on our country and our way of life”, and urged MPs not to “lose sight of the fact that David’s killing was an act of terror”.

“We must finally confront the threats and violence people face while enacting this country’s democracy. I want to pledge to you, Mr Speaker, and to you, Prime Minister, the full weight of the Labour Party in this,” the Labour leader said.

“A cowardly attack on a public servant doing their job is an attack on our country and our way of life. A way of life that prizes tolerance, democracy and respect. That accepts our differences, but cherishes our commonalities. That refuses to succumb to the poison of extremism.

“No matter what perverted cause, faith or ideology these attackers support, their intention is always the same – to sow division among us. That is why our response must always be to show we will never be cowed. That our bonds to one another cannot be eroded. That the hatred that took Sir David’s life will never win.”

Kim Leadbeater, sister to former MP Jo Cox, sent her “love, support and solidarity” to the family and friends of Amess and recalled the experience she went through when her own sister was murdered outside a constituency surgery.

“I’ve blocked out much of what happened when Jo was murdered, but I remember clearly the moment I took the phone call saying she had been attacked. I remember physically trembling and the visceral pain that overtook me. And it breaks my heart to think that another family has had to experience that phone call,” she said.

Labour MP Harriet Harman said Amess exemplified a “commitment to constituency, commitment to parliament, a belief that he could and did make a difference”, adding that he was “one of the most dedicated but also the most affable of MPs”.

Mike Kane, the Labour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, stressed the importance of the Catholic faith to Amess, noting that “Catholics believe extreme unction [last rites] help guide the soul after death” and suggested rules should be introduced to ensure that it can be easily accessed in hospitals.

Tory MP Mark Francois told colleagues that Amess had become increasingly concerned about abuse towards MPs, including “vile misogynistic abuse”, and called on ministers to toughen up the proposed measures in the online harms bill.

Leyton and Wanstead Labour MP John Cryer said: “There are profound and visceral issues that divide parties in this place, and individuals, but they are minuscule compared to what divides us from the forces of darkness who brought this about.”

Amess was first elected to parliament as the MP for Basildon in 1983, before becoming the representative for Southend West in 1995. He was stabbed to death while in his constituency surgery in the seaside town of Leigh-on-Sea.

“His death is tragic, and the manner of his death appalling. But isn’t it fitting that his last acts were acts of service to his constituents?” Conservative MP and former Prime Minister Theresa May said in her contribution this afternoon.

She hailed his compassion, and urged MPs to ensure that “in all our political debates, in all our political discourse, we bring to those debates and discourse the same respect, decency and compassion that were the symbols of his life”.

Amess was a social conservative, supportive of capital punishment and opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage. He was a vocal Eurosceptic and campaigned for Brexit.

The Essex MP was also a supporter of animal rights, consistently voting for the ban on foxhunting and hare coursing. He campaigned against fuel poverty and raised awareness of endometriosis.

Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs committee and longstanding Labour MP, today noted his “kindness and compassion”, saying that the Southend West MP had been a “knight in shining armour” to his constituents.

Ali Harbi Ali was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. The 25-year-old is being held under the Terrorism Act and it has been widely reported that he is understood to have extremist Islamist beliefs.