Patel orders security review after MP is stabbed to death
Prime Minister leads tributes as Tory killed at surgery
THE safety of MPS is to be reviewed after a Conservative MP was stabbed to death while holding a constituency surgery in Essex.
Sir David Amess, who has been an MP since 1983, was attacked at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-sea, near Southend, at midday yesterday.
A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the 69-year-old Tory veteran.
The father-of-five is the second sitting MP to be killed in the space of five years, following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 as she attended a constituency surgery.
The sister of Ms Cox, Kim Leadbeater, now a Labour MP, said her partner has asked her to step down following Sir David’s death.
Ms Leadbeater said she felt “frightened” following the attack .
She added: “I find myself now working as a politician and trying to do good things for people and it’s really important you get good people in public life, but this is the risk we are all taking and so many MPS will be scared by this.
“My partner came home and he said he didn’t want me to do it any more because the next time that phone goes, it could be a different conversation.
“There are so many layers to this. “At the heart of it are David’s family and friends.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sir David was “a fine public servant and a much-loved friend and colleague”, while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the incident was “awful beyond words”.
The safety and security of MPS is to be reassessed following the incident.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said questions are “rightly being asked” about the safety of MPS. She has asked all police forces to review security arrangements for MPS “with immediate effect”.
The investigation into the fatal stabbing is being led by counterterror officers, Essex Police said.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the
House of Commons, said the attack will “send shockwaves across the parliamentary community and the whole country”.
He added: “In the coming days, we will need to discuss and examine MPS’ security and any measures to be taken but, for now, our thoughts and prayers are with David’s family, friends and colleagues.”
Flags were lowered to half-mast outside the UK and Scottish parliaments as a mark of respect.
Detectives are not looking for any other suspects and have asked witnesses with footage such as
CCTV to come forward. Police said a knife was recovered from the scene.
Mr Johnson said Sir David was “one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics”.
Speaking last night, the Prime Minister said: “I think all our hearts are full of shock and sadness today at the loss of Sir David Amess MP, who was killed in his constituency surgery in a church after almost 40 years of continuous service to the people of
Essex and the whole of the United Kingdom. And the reason I think people are so shocked and saddened is, above all, he was one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics, and he also had an outstanding record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable, whether the people who are suffering from endometriosis, passing laws to end cruelty to animals, or doing a huge amount to reduce the fuel poverty suffered by people up and down the country.
“David was a man who believed passionately in this country and in its future. And we’ve lost today a fine public servant and a much-loved friend and colleague, and our thoughts are very much today with his wife, his children, and his family.”
The First Minister said her “thoughts and deepest condolences” were with
Sir David’s loved ones and colleagues.
She added: “Elected representatives from across the political spectrum will be united in sadness and shock today.
“In a democracy, politicians must be accessible and open to scrutiny, but no-one deserves to have their life taken while working for and representing their constituents.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said they were “shocked and saddened” by the killing, adding that their “thoughts and prayers” were with Sir David’s family, friends and colleagues.
In a personal tweet from the couple, they said: “We are shocked and saddened by the murder of Sir David Amess, who dedicated 40 years of his life to serving his community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues. W & C”
Witnesses described the murder scene as “very distressing”.
Anthony Finch recalled seeing someone being taken out of the building and put into the back of a police car.
He told Sky News: “We arrived to do some work on the adjacent building… and at the point when I was crossing the road I saw an upset lady on the phone saying ‘you need to arrive quickly, he’s still in the building’.
“There were loads of armed police, overhead there was an air ambulance as well as a police helicopter. Obviously wondered what the hell was going on, you don’t often see armed police around the local area.
“I saw the suspect get put into a police van, get taken away and then they cordoned the whole road and pushed us all down the road. What we then heard was that it was David Amess.”
Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, who had last week joined Sir David on a parliamentary delegation to Qatar, paid tribute following the “horrific circumstances” of his death.
Mr Ross said: “It was a privilege to spend the last week with him.
“David died doing the job he loved, helping his constituents and carrying out his public duty. A duty he has carried out for the last 38 years he has been a member of Parliament.
“I am at a complete loss for words to describe this tragedy – and I offer my prayers and heartfelt condolences to David’s wife Julia and his five children.
“He will be sorely missed by everyone who had the honour of knowing him.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar
said he was “horrified and saddened” by the news, while Scottish Secretary Alister Jack added: “I am shocked, and hugely saddened, by the death of David Amess. He was a great Parliamentarian, and one of the kindest and best people in the House of Commons. My thoughts are with his family at this terrible time.”
The SNP’S Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said the news was “utterly devastating”. He added: “Sir David was a thoroughly decent man, who was well liked across parties and the House of Commons. All of us are appalled at this barbaric attack, which was as senseless as it was cowardly. He was murdered while simply doing his job.
“In recent years, we have seen increasingly unacceptable levels of abuse and intimidation aimed at MPS,
parliamentary staff and public figures. At its worst, this has resulted in violent attacks on multiple MPS and the murder of Jo Cox and now Sir David Amess.
“All of us are united in sadness today and in calling for an end to this abuse, intimidation and violence. It is a threat to our democracy - and it has to stop.”
There were 678 crimes against MPS reported between 2016 and 2020, according to police data.
The Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team, set up by the Metropolitan Police in 2016 following the death of Jo Cox, received 582 reports of malicious communications and handled 46 cases of harassment.
There were also seven reports of MPS receiving threats, and three cases of common assault over the period.