This blog is now closed.
A summary of today's developments
- Sources have confirmed to the Guardian that the suspect’s name is Ali Harbi Ali, 25.
- Scotland Yard said the suspect was subsequently further detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and he is now being held at a London police station.
- Detectives were granted a warrant of further detention at Westminster magistrates court, allowing them to keep the man in custody until 22 October, when the warrant expires.
- Officers attended three addresses in the London area and conducted searches as part of their investigation.
- A candlelit vigil in honour of Sir David Amess was held this evening at Belfairs Park.
- Home secretary Priti Patel said had held meetings with the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, police and security services to ensure appropriate measures are in place for MPs.
- Liberal Democrats will not stand candidates in the Southend-West by-election. Sky News reported Labour will also not field a candidate.
Updated
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has demanded “an end to hatred” against MPs and a kinder form of political discourse following the fatal stabbing of Sir David Amess, as evidence mounts of the shocking scale of intimidation and threats suffered daily by elected politicians and their staff.
In a highly unusual intervention for a Commons Speaker, Hoyle makes the appeal as he writes in the Observer. He describes the late Tory MP and father of five as a friend who would regularly drop into his office for a chat, and as “a man who found a connection with everyone, no matter their background”.
On Saturday, political leaders put on a defiant show of unity and solidarity, with Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer, along with Hoyle and the home secretary, Priti Patel, together laying wreaths at Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Amess died after being stabbed repeatedly as he held his constituency surgery on Friday. A man was arrested shortly after the attack and remains in police custody.
Updated
Sir David Amess was a regular in our office. Not because, like many members of parliament, he wanted to secure a debate or ask for something, but because he genuinely liked a gossip and a chat with my staff.
Updated
Sources confirm name to Guardian
Sources have confirmed to the Guardian that the suspect’s name is Ali Harbi Ali, 25.
Updated
Among the numerous floral tributes to Sir David by the police cordon on Eastwood Road North, where the church is, one from his cousins read: “RIP David. Thinking of your lovely family.
“Can’t believe this has actually happened. Will always love you. Cousins Moira and Pat.”
Another family message, from second cousins, read: “I am so sad to hear the news of this brutal attack. You was a great man, husband, father, and member of our family. “You will be missed. Rest in peace.”
Updated
Southend borough council has marked the candlelit vigil for Sir David Amess by posting some pictures from the event.
Another moving community led vigil was held tonight at Belfairs Park in memory of Sir David Amess.
— Southend-on-Sea BC #StaySafeSouthend (@SouthendBC) October 16, 2021
Cllr Alan Dear of Belfairs ward led the tributes saying he was a “gentleman and would be greatly missed.” pic.twitter.com/nfiCdS2HQq
Updated
Suspect detained under Terrorism Act – police
Scotland Yard said on Saturday evening: “Late on Friday, whilst in police custody, the man was subsequently further detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and he is now being held at a London police station.
“On Saturday, detectives were granted a warrant of further detention at Westminster magistrates court, allowing them to keep the man in custody until 22 October, when the warrant expires.
“As part of the fast-paced investigation, officers have attended three addresses in the London area and conducted searches. One of these searches has concluded and the others are ongoing. A postmortem examination has taken place today.”
Updated
Suspect reportedly named Ali Harbi Ali
PA Media said on Saturday night that it understands “the name the police have for the suspect is Ali Harbi Ali”.
Updated
Shortly after 9am on Saturday, Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer bent to lay wreaths and, united briefly by grief, turned grimly from the Essex church where Conservative MP David Amess had been killed less than 24 hours earlier.
Accompanied by the rumble of helicopters, the political leaders soon left Leigh-on-Sea and a community searching for answers.
Hundreds of people attended a candlelit vigil in memory of MP Sir David Amess.
Southend councillor Alan Dear addressed those gathered in a circle around dozens of glowing candles on the grass.
“For me, and I know for all of you because you’re here, it’s been a terrible 24 hours for all of us,” he said.
He went on: “For me, (Sir David) was a good friend, and I know he was a good friend to all of you here.
“He spent 40 years of his life caring for the constituents of Basildon and Southend.
He was a very kind, loving, gentle man. A gentleman and a gentle man.
“He’s a person I will never forget. He’s always been available.
“If you ever needed help he was there. I know he’s helped many of you here this evening.”
The Liberal Democrats have confirmed they will not be putting a candidate forward for the Southend West byelection.
The party is set to follow the principle established after Jo Cox’s murder in 2016, when the major parties declined to nominate candidates for the subsequent Batley and Spen byelection.
Updated
A Labour peer has called for all major opposition parties to stand aside in the Southend West by-election out of respect for Sir David Amess after he was murdered serving his constituents.
Former minister Lord Pendry said a decision not to contest the seat should be taken to “honour” the Conservative politician.
“This is an occasion when you see the leader of the opposition (Sir Keir Starmer) and the prime minister together, and it shows that our democracy transcends all that sort of thing,” he told PA news agency.
“I think we should be saying that whoever the Conservatives put up, it is their seat because they were deprived of it, so they should have it back.
“I think all the major parties should stand aside in the interest of democracy and our own democratic way of life.”
Sky News is reporting that Labour and the Liberal Democrats will not stand candidates to contest the Southend West by-election.
Updated
People have now gathered at Belfairs Recreation Ground to light candles and pay tribute to Sir David Amess.
The vigil is near Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where the MP died after being stabbed multiple times on Friday.
Updated
It was business as usual as MPs held constituency surgeries less than 24 hours after the death of Sir David Amess.
Amess was killed while meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea on Friday, five-and-a-half years after Jo Cox, a Labour MP, was killed by a far-right extremist. Some MPs on Saturday called for a review of safety procedures before resuming meetings with constituents. But Alec Shelbrooke held a surgery at a local supermarket, and said he would continue to do so even if he had to “add a few more precautions”.
The local football team, Southend Manor Football Club, have paid their respects to Sir David Amess before an under-16s game against Wakering Sports FC.
In Memoriam 🕯
— Southend Manor FC - Development Team (@SouthManorDev) October 16, 2021
Sir David Amess #DavidAmess #SirDavidAmess @mysouthend https://t.co/ZbMc4Pokl7
Updated
Labour MP for Hull East Karl Turner said there was only so far politicians could go to protect themselves from attacks without alienating constituents.
He told PA news agency he has not considered suspending face-to-face meetings in the wake of Sir David Amess’ murder, having only recently resumed them after coronavirus restrictions were lifted.
“I think other MPs feel more vulnerable but I think we have got to carry it on.
“We have to be vigilant ourselves, that’s the truth. I’ve got CCTV in almost every room in the constituency office - I’ve always had that, even before Jo (Cox).
“I think you can do as much as you can possibly do but if a knife-wielding maniac bursts into your room, what can you do about that really?
“I think you’ve got to take the risk. I’m not pretending to be any kind of a hero, far from it, but I think it is a pretty bad deal if you can’t see your MP.”
Labour MP Diane Abbott said she would prefer to meet constituents behind a screen to prevent possible stab attacks.
But the former shadow home secretary said having constituency surgeries observed by police could risk putting people off from visiting their local MP.
Abbott told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme: “It’s very difficult. I’ve been talking to colleagues. There was one in north London who was telling me that because of death threats she had a police officer outside her advice session - and a police car, in fact.
“Well of course the number of people coming to see her dropped right down.
“You don’t want to have a set-up which is so off-putting to ordinary people that just want help. So I wouldn’t support airport-style screening.
“I would prefer going forward to meet constituents behind a screen, as we have now for Covid and so on – that might be quite complicated to arrange but at least you know someone’s not going to just lean over the desk and stab you, which could happen now.”
Updated
Rev Clifford Newman, of Belfairs Methodist Church – where Sir David Amess was killed – said the MP held his surgery there because he wanted to be where his constituents were.
He told the PA news agency: “The church is a natural place where people look to.
“He was a person who was for the community and wanted to be in the community, and so a church is obviously a community place.
“It’s a Methodist church, so it’s not like Catholic or Anglican churches, it’s much less formal, but there are pews within the church and it has a couple of community halls.”
Updated
Counter-terrorism detectives are investigating whether David Amess was specifically targeted for attack by a man who stabbed the MP multiple times, then waited for police to arrest him.
The suspected terrorist attack just after midday on Friday, at the constituency surgery of the backbencher for Southend West, has stunned Westminster and forced a review of MPs’ security.
The atrocity was assessed by senior counter-terrorism officials as being linked to a jihadist ideology because of developments in the investigation after the suspect was arrested, the Guardian understands.
These include statements the suspect allegedly made after police detained him.
Conservative MP Bob Blackman said he began having all his surgeries virtually or on the phone when coronavirus struck the UK and has no plans to resume in-person surgeries any time soon.
He told the PA news agency: “I haven’t contemplated a return because I was required to shield. I’m not running any risks on Covid even though I’ve been vaccinated.
“It’s like everything else, you’ve to think about your vulnerability. But at the same time, you want to go meet people, go to functions, go to events.
“I think one of the issues is going to be we will be thinking twice about the types of surgeries David was holding, the drop-in surgeries.”
Imam Mansoor Clarke travelled from London to lay flowers near where Sir David Amess was killed.
“When an event happens like this where it attacks the fabric of our society, it’s important to regardless of creed, colour, nationality, to come together and show support,” Clarke told Sky News. “It’s so important to show that not only do we care, but we are heartbroken when something like this happens. It would be remiss of us not to come.”
A message from Dr Kieran Mullan, MP for Crewe and Norwich:
Surgery today, we must not let people force us to do things differently. David would not have wanted that. pic.twitter.com/pk14dYOdZ1
— Dr Kieran Mullan MP 🇬🇧 (@KieranMullanUK) October 16, 2021
The former Labour MP Paula Sheriff has said police laughed at one threat to her life they were called to investigate.
Sheriff, who was MP for Dewsbury between 2015 and 2019, confirmed that the story, related in a tweet by Kirkless councillor Will Simpson, was about her office.
Simpson wrote: “One of the death threats that was made against an MP I was working for and our team was responded to by the police by laughing at the message left.
“They thought the death threat - that we would all be shot - following Jo [Cox] being shot and swastikas being left at our staff door, was witty.”
Quoting Simpson’s tweet, in her own post Sheriff wrote: “This was my office. For now, we mourn our lovely friend, David Amess, but it is patently clear that different Police services offer an inconsistent approach in dealing with threats to MP’s and this must change. Death threats are never funny.”
Appropriately grey skies greeted those who attended the scene of Sir David Amess’s killing on Saturday morning, with dozens of well-wishers arriving at Belfairs Methodist church to leave flowers and otherwise pay their respects.
“It’s a very sombre day,” said Robert, 69, who lives in the Belfairs area of Leigh-on-Sea, with his wife, Kay, 68. They said they did not want to give a surname because their son was outside the church at the time of the attack and was traumatised. Robert said of Amess: “He was so charitable, so present in the community: he put in an immense effort to attend all of his surgeries. [He was] just that sort of guy.”
The Conservative MP was fatally stabbed while holding a constituency surgery at the church on Friday. His visibility in the community and charity efforts, including on behalf of Belfairs riding school, which provided horse-riding for disabled people, was a recurrent theme in the conversations taking place outside.
Amess’s championing of human rights was praised in a tribute left near the scene of the stabbing in Leigh-on-Sea.
Updated
The Labour party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has tweeted a tribute to David Amess today.
Sir David Amess was a dedicated public servant, a husband and a father.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 16, 2021
May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/sCKT0TQVF4
Updated
The Labour MP Naz Shah, who has previously been targeted with racist abuse, said there was “no right or wrong answer” over whether or not MPs should continue holding their surgeries.
Shah, who represents the Bradford West constituency, told PA Media:
I think it’s all about individuals, isn’t it? I’ve had so many death threats, and it could have been any one of us. It’s really close to home. I just think you’ve got to respect every MP. Some will have the ‘Yes, we’re going to carry on’ view, and some people won’t feel comfortable.
At this time, I think there’s no right or no wrong answer to whether we should do surgeries or not. How people feel is individual to them really, depending on their personal circumstances.
She added that she had been contacted by officers who are part of Operation Bridger, a nationwide police protective security operation, and they had been “amazing” towards her.
However, she declined to say what measures were being taken to protect her.
“For me, the more we talk about what measures we’re taking, the more it raises our risk,” she said.
Updated
Former minister Chris Skidmore said he has continued to hold face-to-face constituency surgeries despite someone previously being put behind bars for threatening to kill him, PA Media reports.
The Conservative MP for Kingswood in South Gloucestershire said he holds two types of surgeries: one where verified constituents book to see him at his office and a second where he holds drop-in sessions, including at supermarkets where shoppers are invited to talk to their MP over the shop tannoy.
Skidmore, a former universities minister, said:
I feel as a member of parliament who was born and grew up in my constituency, it feels absolutely natural that I would continue to hold in-person events.
I’ve had someone in the past who has been in prison for threatening to kill me, so I recognise these threats, but it is a cornerstone of our British way of life when it comes to our democracy – very few countries have this.
Updated
PA Media reports that a joint statement from all of Southend’s mosques has condemned the fatal stabbing of David Amess as an “indefensible atrocity”.
Faith leaders said the father-of-five was an “upstanding friend to our Muslim community” and attended key events, including weddings, mosque openings and the launch of the town’s first Muslim Scout group.
In the statement published on the Essex Jamme Masjid website, on behalf of “all Southend mosques”, they said their thoughts and prayers were with Amess’s family, friends and colleagues.
It read:
Sir David’s murder was an indefensible atrocity, committed on the grounds of a place of worship and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
This act was committed in the name of blind hatred, and we look forward to the perpetrator being brought to justice.
Updated
The Conservative MP David Davis told Sky News he supports constituents continuing to meet their MPs face-to-face and is against pausing surgeries.
Conservative MP David Davis says he does not believe Sir David Amess would want MPs to stop meeting their constituents face-to-face following his death
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 16, 2021
Read more: https://t.co/sKGqIIU52u pic.twitter.com/9YMHWqcoGQ
Updated
Many floral tributes to Sir David Amess have had personal messages of thanks for the work he did for the community and his support for issues including animal welfare.
PA Media reports that an Iranian opposition group has paid tribute to Sir David Amess, describing the MP as a “human rights champion” and an “enemy of many dictators”.
Hossein Abedini was among several members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran who laid flowers and framed photos of Amess near Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where the MP was stabbed to death.
Abedini told PA Media:
Sir David had a very important role in supporting the people of Iran, the uprisings happening in Iran, the Iranian refugees in Camp Ashraf.
As part of this, Amess had recently called on the government to ban Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric, from attending the Cop26 global climate summit in Glasgow, Abedini said.
Yesterday Abedini had paid tribute to Amess.
British MPs,members of the British Committee for Iran Freedom issue statement following the passing of its co-chairman, Sir David Amess MP: Sir David was a champion of human rights+democracy &met on many occasions with the president-elect Mrs Maryam Rajavi https://t.co/mISo22N3Uw pic.twitter.com/vzwXFW42NO
— Hossein Abedini (@HoAbedini) October 15, 2021
Updated
Dr Kieran Mullan, the Conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich, also held his constituency surgery today.
He tweeted:
Surgery today, we must not let people force us to do things differently.
David would not have wanted that.
Surgery today, we must not let people force us to do things differently. David would not have wanted that. pic.twitter.com/pk14dYOdZ1
— Dr Kieran Mullan MP 🇬🇧 (@KieranMullanUK) October 16, 2021
Alec Shelbrooke was among the MPs who held constituency surgeries as usual on Saturday.
The Conservative MP tweeted:
We cannot let events like this diminish the deep relationship between an MP and their constituents.
This is a relationship I value deeply: I want my constituents, regardless of whether they voted for me or not, to be able to approach me in the street, in the pub, at the supermarket or at one of my surgeries.
I held my MP Supermarket Surgeries as normal this morning. pic.twitter.com/4SwOPoO33I
— Alec Shelbrooke MP (@AlecShelbrooke) October 16, 2021
The Conservative MP Theresa Villiers describes the death of Amess as “shocking and appalling” in an interview with Sky News.
She spoke of his kindness and that it is “such a great loss”.
Villiers added: “He was just very kind. If MPs went through a rough patch he would be the one to be there to be supportive.”
"This has been a really really awful couple of weeks for members of Parliament"
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 16, 2021
Conservative MP Theresa Villiers describes the death of Sir David Amess as "shocking and appalling"
Read more: https://t.co/sKGqIIU52u pic.twitter.com/20pIxzE9K5
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PA Media reports that MPs have been tweeting about the constituent surgeries they held today.
Craig Williams, MP for Montgomeryshire, also held a surgery on Saturday alongside his Conservative colleague from the Welsh parliament, Russell George.
Williams tweeted:
Busy surgery with @russ_george in Guilsfield this morning. Thought of Sir David Amess throughout.
A special shout out to DyfedPowys for their presence and reassurance. Montgomeryshire”
Busy surgery with @russ_george in #Guilsfield this morning. Thought of Sir David Amess throughout. A special shout out to @DyfedPowys for their presence and reassurance. #Montgomeryshire pic.twitter.com/XtEVklyRlR
— Craig Williams (@craig4monty) October 16, 2021
Updated
The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has tweeted a tribute today to Sir David Amess.
Sir David Amess was a dedicated public servant, a husband and a father.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 16, 2021
May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/sCKT0TQVF4
Rev Steve Tinning of the Leigh Road Baptist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, who worked extensively with David Amess told the BBC:
David was a true constituent MP. He showed great care and wonderful listening skills to his community. He always put the community he served, the constituency he served, in front of his own political ambition.
He was accessible to all, whatever their age or political backgrounds, was, and upon missing deeply he built that kind of relationship, particularly around he’s supportive of local refugees.”
He added:
David’s commitment to the Muslim community of this town was extraordinary.
I was on the phone just this morning to a Muslim refugee that David had helped over five years liaise with our Home Office and build a case to have them reunited with the son that they were separated with after the war in Syria broke out, and he’s devastated he’s heartbroken that this man that had shown such care and love for his family and ultimately resulted in the reunion of their family, you know, has gone.
Amess, Tinning said, had recently won a raffle prize at an event held at his church.
I’ve got a prize just in front of me on the floor, but he didn’t know that he’d won and I’ve been saving to present to him the next opportunity that we met, which I knew wouldn’t be far away because he was so accessible, and never permitted to reply to an email or a text or a phone call. It’s truly heartbreaking.
Updated
Benny Wenda, the West Papuan independence leader, has paid tribute to David Amess, who was one of the first MPs to sign a declaration for the territory to be freed from Indonesian rule.
I would like to send my deepest condolences to the family of David Amess MP, who was brutally killed yesterday. He was one of the first MPs to sign the Westminster Declaration for West Papua and will always be fondly remembered by West Papuans. Rest in Peace.
— Benny Wenda (@BennyWenda) October 16, 2021
The killing of David Amess has shown how “no member of parliament is safe”, David Mellor, the Conservative former government minister, has told Sky News.
Mellor paid tribute to “a delightful man”, a “strong Thatcherite” who was content to remain on the Conservative backbenches.
“Basically he was an ideal colleague,” Mellor said. “I don’t know anyone who had a bad word to say about him, and that’s what makes this whole thing so horrendous: if a man as decent and so committed to the public good as David Amess can be literally cut to pieces – 12 knife wounds – while doing his constituency duty, no member of parliament is safe.”
Former Conservative cabinet member David Mellor describes Sir David Amess as a "delightful man".
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 16, 2021
He adds "if a man as decent and committed to the public good as David Amess can be literally cut to pieces... no member of Parliament is safe"
Read more: https://t.co/sKGqIIU52u pic.twitter.com/Ip83XE9wjB
Updated
This morning I laid a wreath in memory of Sir David Amess MP, a much loved colleague and friend.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 16, 2021
My thoughts are with his wife, children and friends. pic.twitter.com/GIP6XkzJJe
Mosques in Southend have issued a joint statement mourning “the brutal and senseless killing” of David Amess, and hailing him as a friend to the area’s Muslim community.
The statement, published on the Essex Masjid website, remembered Amess as a politician who “celebrated the achievements” of the Muslim community and “shared in our happiness”.
The statement from the mosques says:
As members of Southend-on-Sea’s Muslim community, we mourn the brutal and senseless killing of Sir David Amess MP. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sir David’s family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time. We share their grief at his loss, for Sir David was not only our Member of Parliament, but an upstanding friend to our Muslim community.
Sir David joined the local Muslim community as we celebrated our achievements. He graced us with his presence at the opening of the Essex Jamme Masjid in 2008 and 2014. He took part in the launch of Southend-on-Sea’s first Muslim Scout group. He shared in our happiness, by attending our weddings and functions and he was there for us in our times of need. We will all miss him dearly, but his legacy of public service will live on, as will memories of his warmth, selflessness and kindness.
Sir David’s murder was an indefensible atrocity, committed on the grounds of a place of worship and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. This act was committed in the name of blind hatred, and we look forward to the perpetrator being brought to justice.
Updated
No 10 has tweeted photos of the prime minister, the leader of the opposition, the home secretary and the Speaker of the House of Commons laying flowers at the scene where David Amess was killed.
Prime Minister @BorisJohnson paid tribute to Sir David Amess MP in Leigh-on-Sea. pic.twitter.com/aURSzWECaI
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) October 16, 2021
Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer were joined by Priti Patel and Lindsay Hoyle at Belfairs Methodist church on Saturday.
This is Damien Gayle taking over on the live blog for the next hour or so, while Jane has a break.
Updated
The president of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, has extended condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of David Amess.
May I express my deepest sympathies to the family, friends, colleagues in parliament and constituents of Sir David Amess, who was murdered while carrying out that most fundamental act of a politician, meeting with his constituents, assisting them with their issues,” said Higgins.
All of those who value representative politics will think also today of the family of the late Jo Cox, who was taken from her family in June 2016.
I know that all those who serve the people of the United Kingdom will have been deeply affected by these two murders and on behalf of the Irish people, I send them our deepest sympathies.
Statement from President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Sir David Amesshttps://t.co/SxRFPWt5uK
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) October 16, 2021
Updated
The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) has cancelled a scheduled plenary meeting at Westminster on Monday as a mark of respect for Sir David Amess, PA Media reports.
The assembly meets twice a year to provide a forum for parliamentarians across the UK, Ireland and the Crown dependencies to discuss issues of mutual interest.
In a joint statement, the co-chairs of the assembly, MP Andrew Rosindell and the Irish TD Brendan Smith, said:
Sir David Amess was an esteemed colleague, associate member and friend of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and his loss has deeply shocked all of us.
Our thoughts are with him and with his family, for whom the tragedy is orders of magnitude more intense.
We must not let such awful events stop business in our democracies, but out of respect for David and his family we have made the incredibly difficult decision to cancel Monday’s BIPA plenary.
Updated
The Southend Conservative councillor John Lamb said he would not change the way he engages with residents following the fatal stabbing of Sir David Amess.
He told PA Media:
It’s part of the role that you as a councillor or as a member of parliament are expected to meet with people and talk with them.
You can’t think too much about it, if you do you wouldn’t do the job.
If we start locking ourselves away we might as well give up being councillors or parliamentarians and why should these people, whether they be terrorists or whoever they might be, why should they disrupt our democracy?
If they had their way, they would try and shut our democracy down because they can’t stand democracy.
Updated
MPs are calling for Southend to be given city status to honour a 21-year campaign by Amess.
Conservative MPs Chris Skidmore, Michael Fabricant, Victoria Prentis, James Duddridge and Labour’s Charlotte Nichols are among those backing the idea.
Replying to a tweet saying Southend should be given city status, Nichols, the MP for Warrington North, said: “Absolutely; I can’t think of a better way to honour his memory.”
Skidmore said Amess would “badger” him constantly about making Southend a city and had told him that it was his “one great ambition left in parliament”.
He added: “So with the jubilee next year, let’s give Southend city status and see Sir David’s final ambition realised.
“Tragically he will never see that moment happen, but it would be a fitting memorial to a man who dedicated his life, and ultimately laid it down for his community.”
Absolutely; I can't think of a better way to honour his memory. https://t.co/XqlnEYCbF4
— Charlotte Nichols (@charlotte2153) October 15, 2021
Updated
The home secretary, Priti Patel, tweeted a tribute to Amess this morning.
Rest in peace, dear David.
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) October 16, 2021
We will all cherish our memories of your kindness, love and affection. pic.twitter.com/m9vDYvccIt
Updated
Tributes continue for Sir David Amess.
PA Media reports:
A steady stream of people laid flowers near the police cordon outside Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, where MP Sir David Amess was stabbed to death.
Local resident Samantha Macdonald, 44, was in tears as she recalled meeting Amess when he visited her school when she was 12.
She said:
He was always so involved with the community, so accessible as well – prided himself on being accessible.
He knew every head teacher’s name of every school in his constituency. My 13-year-old daughter absolutely loved him.
Updated
Home Secretary says MPs 'cannot be cowed by any individual'
Speaking today Priti Patel said: “We’re all struggling to come to terms with the fact that David Amess has been so cruelly taken away from all of us.
“Less than 24 hours ago David was in his own constituency doing a local advice surgery, which is something that all MPs do week in, week out.
“And of course David, as I knew him and as we all knew him, was just a passionate advocate and a champion for Southend, this wonderful, wonderful town.
“He was a man of the people, he was absolutely there for everyone, he was a much-loved parliamentarian, to me he was a dear and loyal friend, but also he was a devoted husband and father and we think of Julia and their children at this really sad time, they’re in our thoughts and our prayers.”
She added: “Acts like this are absolutely wrong and we cannot let that get in the way of our functioning democracy.”
She said she had held meetings with the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, police and security services to ensure appropriate measures are in place for MPs.
“All measures are being put in place for the security of MPs so that they can carry on with their duties as elected democratic members,” she said.
“We live in an open society, a democracy. We cannot be cowed by any individual ... to stop us from functioning to serve our elected democracy.”
Updated
The home secretary, Priti Patel, has paid tribute to “man of the people” Sir David Amess but said that a balance could be found between the democratic process and the security of MPs, adding that “we cannot be cowed by any individual or any motivation ... to stop us from functioning.”
Updated
A Southend councillor, Alex Bright, said the death of David Amess should lead to a review of how politicians engage with their constituents.
He told PA Media: “It’s difficult because to stop a lone attack like this is almost impossible, but I think there are going to have to be basic ways in which we change the way that we engage with our residents unfortunately.
“Security is at the forefront of our minds, much more than it ever has been, for everybody in any job or career.”
The Conservative councillor laid flowers near the police cordon outside Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, where Amess was stabbed to death.
Bright said the MP, whom he had known since he was a teenager, had been a “permanent fixture in Southend, in Conservative politics and in the community”.
He added: “We’ve been left with an enormous hole that can’t be filled ... I can’t see how we’ll come back from this but I’m sure we will.”
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Also paying tribute at Belfairs Methodist church with Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer and Priti Patel, was the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
Hoyle has said police were contacting all MPs to check on their security in the wake of Sir David Amess’s killing yesterday.
He told BBC Two’s Newsnight: “It is about doing the right things working with the police constabularies right across the United Kingdom because it is about joining that up.
“I know that they are contacting all the MPs to check about their safety, to reassure them, because in the end we have got to make sure that is a priority.”
He added: “Those people who do not share our values or share democracy, they will not win and we won’t let them win. We will continue to look at security, that is ongoing and it will continue.”
However, he said on Friday that while it was right that security was reviewed following the latest incident, it was important to avoid “knee-jerk” reactions.
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PA Media reports that Virginia Lewis-Jones, the daughter of Dame Vera Lynn and family friend of Sir David Amess, will add a tribute to the MP to the statue of her mother that the pair fundraised for.
Amess supported and helped launch the Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Appeal, working to have a statue erected in her honour after her death, although the target of £1.5 million has not yet been hit.
Lewis-Jones told BBC Breakfast: “I think in some way, David should also be remembered in the memorial for what he has done to this point and hopefully in spirit will continue to do.
“We’ve got to continue, not only for my mother but also for David for what he began and for what we will continue to do because it’s half his memorial as well.”
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The prime minister and the Labour party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, stood side-by-side in a moment of silence outside Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, to pay tribute to Sir David Amess.
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Jacqui Smith, former Labour MP and chairwoman of the Jo Cox Foundation, has described the fatal stabbing of Sir David Amess as “an attack on our democracy”.
Smith said it is right to have a review of MPs’ security and physical safety, but she added it needs to go “far further than that”, reports PA Media.
She told BBC Breakfast: “All of us have a responsibility to protect our democracy, which is so important for this country. We can’t do that unless we protect and respect those people who are elected as part of it.
“Sometimes for MPs it’s actually quite difficult for them to argue for special treatment, but they are special.
“They are the people who are elected in our democracy to represent us and we all therefore have a responsibility to treat them with respect and to ensure that they’re safe as they go about that job.”
She called for everyone to think about their “attitude” towards MPs, how they treat them and how they talk about them.
“We also need to think about the way in which our public life has become more divided, more toxic, and we need to take responsibility ourselves, through the media, through our own activities, through the way in which politicians themselves treat each other, for turning that around and recognising that an attack on a Member of Parliament is an attack on our democracy, we’ve all got a responsibility to protect that.”
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MPs have been discussing the safety of MPs this morning.
The Labour MP Harriet Harman said she would write to the prime minister asking him to back a Speaker’s conference to review the safety of parliamentarians in their constituencies following the death of Sir David Amess.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme whether the issue of MP safety has worsened since her election in 1982, Harman said: “Yes, it absolutely has.
“I think that, while we anguish about this dreadful loss, we can’t just assert that nothing should change.
“I don’t think anybody wants to go to a situation where the police are vetting individual constituents who come and see us, but I’m sure there is a safer way to go about our business.
“That’s why I’m proposing we have a Speaker’s conference, which is something that happens only once every 10 years or so where there is a major issue for parliament and our democracy, and the Speaker brings together the parties and the authorities and comes up with recommendations.
“Since Jo Cox’s tragic killing, we’ve had changes in our home security, we’ve had changes in security in parliament, but we haven’t looked at the issue of how we go about that important business in our constituency, but do it in a safe way – and I think we must do that now.
“We cannot have the death of an MP being a price worth paying for our democracy.”
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Police forces are expected to contact all 650 MPs today as the home secretary ordered an immediate review of their security following the fatal stabbing of David Amess on Friday.
Police confirmed last night that the killing of Amess was being linked to Islamist terrorism.
PA Media reports:
In a statement, the Metropolitan police said senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, deputy assistant commissioner Dean Haydon, had formally declared the incident as terrorism.
The early investigation has revealed “a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism”, the force said.
A 25-year-old man arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder is currently in custody at an Essex police station.
As part of the investigation, officers are carrying out searches at two addresses in the London area, the Met said.
The force believes the man acted alone and are not seeking anyone else in connection with the matter at this time but inquiries into the circumstances of the incident are continuing.
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Boris Johnson, Priti Patel and Sir Keir Starmer lay flowers outside church were Sir David Amess was fatally stabbed
The prime minister, Boris Johnson, and the home secretary, Priti Patel, as well as the leader of the Labour party, Sir Keir Starmer, have visited Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, to pay tribute to the late Tory MP Sir David Amess.
The prime minister laid a wreath at the front of Belfairs Methodist church, where Amess was fatally stabbed on Friday.
Starmer stood side by side with Johnson outside the church.
The politicians went up individually to the front of the church to pay their respects.
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