Southend paused to remember Sir David Amess on Friday a week after their local MP was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery.
A two-minute silence was held at midday close to the church where the veteran Tory was killed while meeting local residents.
It came as the man accused of his murder, Ali Harbi Ali, 25, was set to appear before an Old Bailey judge on Friday afternoon. Ali was remanded in custody during a 13-minute hearing at Westminster magistrates’ court on Thursday. The court heard he allegedly began plotting to kill an MP two years ago, focusing on two MPs apart from father-of-five Sir David.
He is said to have carried out reconnaissance at one of the MPs’ homes, the surgery of another and also the Houses of Parliament. Prosecutor James Cable said Ali travelled by train from his home in Kentish Town last Friday after making a midday appointment by email for Sir David’s surgery, claiming he was moving to the area.
During the meeting he was allegedly seen to use his mobile phone before standing up, producing a large knife from his pocket and stabbing Sir David in the stomach.
Prosecutors allege that Ali was affiliated with Islamic State and targeted Sir David over the MP’s voting record in support of air strikes on Syria.
Speaking ahead of the poignant tribute, local councillor Alan Dear described the mood in Southend as “still one of shock”.
Floral tributes to Sir David, 69, which had piled up outside Belfairs Methodist Church hall, where the surgery was held, have now been moved to his constituency office.
John Lamb, a councillor for the local West Leigh ward, said a further two-minute silence may be held there. He added: “Everyone you talk to will tell you when Sir David spoke to them how nice he was… always talking to them about how they were and how’s their family. He remembered some of their ailments, some of their problems and would ask about them.”
Meanwhile it emerged that MPs are now being offered a security guard for constituency surgeries.
They were warned in a joint letter from Home Secretary Priti Patel and Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle that their safety is at risk from a “small minority of hostile individuals”. The letter added that those individuals “may be motivated by grievances which are difficult to detect and whose actions are hard to predict.”
It said a “trained and accredited security operative will be available to come to your constituency surgeries”.
This week Ms Patel told the Commons that the threat level for MPs has been raised to “substantial”, meaning a fresh attack is deemed likely.
