‘I was stabbed and my friend was killed. It’s no safer now’
Idon’t often find myself thinking back to the moment 21 years ago when a man pulled a samurai sword from his overcoat, attacking me and killing my aide and best friend. I have learnt over the past two decades to keep those thoughts at bay or they might threaten to overwhelm me.
When Stephen Timms was stabbed in 2010 during his constituency surgery, I was taken right back to that moment, as I was again on the day Jo Cox was murdered on the street in Birstall. When news broke that my friend, David Amess, had been stabbed in his constituency surgery in Southend, I was immediately back in that room on Jan 28 2000. To learn David’s life has been taken is the most unimaginable shock. I simply can’t believe this has happened again, and to the kindest, most decent of men.
He was a mate, David. We were on opposite sides of every debate, he voted the wrong way on most things and disagreed with me on just about everything. We were in different parties but always got on well. He was a wonderful personality and worked exceptionally hard for his constituents.
He was a proper parliamentarian, a dedicated public servant and a lovely man. If he bumped into me when he had visitors to the House, he’d say “Oh and this is my friend Nigel, he was attacked, you know? Do you remember, he was on the television?” I’m appalled that he has suffered like this.
David, like my friend Andy Pennington and I, was just trying to do the job to the best of his ability. Our democracy relies on an open channel between those in power and the people who we represent. It’s vital to be able to meet people face-to-face so they can feel we are here and are working for them.
Like David, I was attacked and Andy was killed in the middle of a surgery. For a long time afterwards, I suffered terribly with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and thought I needed a bodyguard, though I soon realised that wouldn’t be possible.
In 21 years, it hasn’t got any safer to be a politician in this country. Of course, it would be very expensive to give every MP a bodyguard of some kind but violence seems to be a bigger part of our society now than ever before. Most people with mental health conditions are completely harmless but my assailant was an exception.
There are an awful lot of people who feel they have been ignored or who are addicted to drugs.
The House authorities offer some training these days on how to diffuse an agitated constituent. But it’s not enough and, as I know all too well, things can happen extremely quickly.
When the man who attacked me came into my surgery he had a letter that he wanted me to sign and send off to the relevant authority. I said yes and was there anything else I could do to help? “Yes,” he said, “I’m now going to do this thing.”
There was this horrible scraping noise as he pulled his samurai sword out from underneath his overcoat. He lunged at me and somehow I got my hands on the blade and diverted it. I fell on to the sofa and he was on top of me. I said “Stop this!” I looked up and his eyes were completely bloodshot.
Andy hit him over the head with an electric fire we had on the floor and I was able to get up, disentangle myself from the sword and run. The last thing Andy said to me was: “Go, Nigel!”
There is no doubt in my mind that he saved my life. He was awarded the George Cross posthumously for his courage.
I ran out to the street, my hands torn to pieces. He attacked Andy and killed him. I asked the chief constable: had I stayed, could I have saved Andy? He said: “No, if you’d stayed I’d have had two bodies and no chief witness.”
I lost my best friend that day (Andy had got me elected and worked alongside me, steadfastly) and life has never quite been the same since. I’m more cautious than I was, I still suffer with PTSD, and it affected my wife and three children hugely, too. My heart goes out to David’s family. I know the effect something like this can have on those who are left. His constituents have lost a dedicated parliamentarian, but his family have lost a husband and father. I’m just so very sorry.
‘Life has never quite been the same ... I still suffer from PTSD and it affected my wife and children hugely’