Markus Andrews

Leaders from across the political spectrum came together Saturday to pay tribute to a long-serving British lawmaker who was stabbed to death in what police have described as a terrorist incident. Prime Minister Boris Johnson the leader of the main opposition Labour Party Keir Starmer, and the non-partisan speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle arrived at the church where David Amess was stabbed multiple times while meeting with constituents. A 25-year-old man is in custody for the attack.The politicians went up to the front of Belfairs Methodist Church individually to pay their respects to the Conservative lawmaker, who had been a member of the British Parliament since 1983. After laying flowers, they returned to their vehicles, escorted by a police convoy. They did not stop to talk to reporters.In a statement early Saturday, the Metropolitan Police described the attack as terrorism and said the early investigation “has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism.”Amess, 69, was attacked around midday Friday at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, a town about 40 miles (62 kilometers) east of London Paramedics tried without success to save him. Police arrested the suspect and recovered a knife.They did not identify the suspect, who was held on suspicion of murder. Police said they believed the suspect acted alone, and were not seeking anyone else in connection with the killing, though investigations continue.As part of the investigation, officers were searching two locations in the London area. The senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, formally declared the incident as terrorism early Saturday. The Metropolitan Police said an “early investigation has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism,” but the department did not provide any details about the basis for that assessment.The slaying came five years after another MP, Jo Cox, was murdered by a far-right extremist in her small-town constituency, and Amess’ killing has renewed concern about the risks politicians run as they go about their work representing voters. British politicians generally are not given police protection when they meet with their constituents. Veteran Labour lawmaker Harriet Harman said she planned to write to the prime minister to ask him to back what is known as a Speaker’s Conference to review the safety of parliamentarians.“I think that, while we anguish about this dreadful loss, we can’t just assert that nothing should change,” Harman told BBC radio. “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.”Under a Speaker’s Conference, the speaker brings together political parties and authorities to come up with non-partisan recommendations. They occur rarely, about once every 10 years.“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,” Harman said. More

Every MP in the UK is being contacted by police today to discuss whether they should step up security measures in the wake of the murder of Sir David Amess.Officers will discuss equipment already available to MPs, like panic buttons in office and key fob-style emergency alarms, and security arrangements for public events in the coming days.The move comes after home secretary Priti Patel ordered a review of MPs’ security, amid intense debate over the balance between safety and public access to elected representatives.Chief constables are expected to report back to Ms Patel by the end of the weekend, ahead of a statement to the Commons by the home secretary early next week.Tory MP Tobias Ellwood – who came to the aid of a police officer murdered in a terrorist incident at Westminster in 2017 – has said that MPs should cease face-to-face surgeries while the review is conducted, meeting constituents via internet video services instead. And senior Conservative backbencher Sir Bernard Jenkin said all meetings with constituents should in future be conducted online, arguing there was no justification for spending police resources on protecting open-door events which he said were “frankly not really necessary”.But Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle went ahead with a planned surgery on Friday evening, declaring: “We can’t afford for democracy to be smashed. Nobody will beat democracy.”One of the House of Commons’ most senior MPs, Harriet Harman, today wrote to Boris Johnson asking him to convene a cross-party Speaker’s Conference to examine the safety of MPs outside Westminster.Ms Harman said change was needed to political practices after the murder of two MPs at constituency surgeries within five years – Sir David in Essex and Batley & Spen’s Jo Cox in West Yorkshire.“We cannot have the death of an MP being a price worth paying for our democracy,” she said.“All MPs value that connection with their constituency. That’s why we’re different from other democracies – we don’t go about in armoured cars and only meet in secure offices with police presences. We’re out and about with our constituents, which is not only – we feel – important to them, but also important for us to keep a connection and understanding.“But I do think that with the second death of an MP in just five years, we do have to consider how we change things. No one wants MPs to hide away, but we’ve got to agree a safe way to do it.”Speaker’s Conferences are rare political events, happening only once a decade or less, commissioned by the prime minister and chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons, bringing together senior figures from all parties and representatives of public authorities to address fundamental issues of electoral democracy. Earlier conferences have dealt with issues like votes for women and ethnic minority representation.Ms Harman said that levels of threats have “absolutely” worsened in recent years amid a growing culture of hostility towards MPs. Appealing for the removal of vitriol from political debate, she told Radio 4’s Today programme: “We can’t allow the word ‘politician’ to be a dirty word.”Jacqui Smith, former Labour home secretary and chair of the Jo Cox Foundation, said that the review by Ms Patel must go beyond simple questions of MPs’ physical safety.“All of us have a responsibility to protect our democracy, which is so important for this country,” she told BBC Breakfast. “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.”Since the murder of Ms Cox, MPs have been offered advice on physical security in their homes and constituencies under a national police system codenamed Operation Bridger.Sir Bernard Jenkin said that he had stopped advertising the location of weekly surgeries, requiring constituents to make appointments before being told the venue.And he said: “So much is now done online. Covid has changed everything. “I think there’s a a great understanding in the public after an event like this that we cannot use up massive police resources to protect us doing something that frankly is not really necessary. We have to be available to our constituents, we just have to find other ways of doing that.”In a statement, a National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said: “In light of yesterday’s tragic attack every MP will be contacted individually by Operation Bridger representatives in their local force to discuss their security arrangements, and to ensure they are aware of all advice pertaining to their personal safety and security.“They will also speak to MPs about security arrangements for any events they are planning to attend in the coming days, so the appropriate advice can be provided.“We encourage MPs to immediately report any security concerns to their local police force in order to keep themselves, their staff and members of the public attending surgeries safe. Funding is available through the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority for security needs based on threat assessments made by police.”Ms Harman said she was not arguing for MPs to be given the same level of close security afforded to prime ministers or home secretaries, who are accompanied constantly by plain-clothes officers in a way which many find intrusive to their everyday lives.But she said: “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. I think we must do that now. We cannot have the death of an MP being a price worth paying for our democracy.” More

Prime minister Boris Johnson has paid tribute to MP Sir David Amess as “one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics”.Mr Johnson was speaking after returning to 10 Downing Street from a cabinet awayday meeting in Bristol.He said that ministers were “deeply shocked and heartstricken” to hear of the attack on Sir David, which took place as their special meeting to discuss the upcoming Cop26 climate change summit was beginning.“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,” said the prime minister.“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.“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.”Mr Johnson added: “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.“Our thoughts are very much today with his wife, his children and his family.”Mr Johnson’s comments followed tributes from all his living predecessors as prime minister.Theresa May hailed Amess as “a decent man and respected parliamentarian, killed in his own community while carrying out his public duties” and said his death was “a tragic day for our democracy”.David Cameron said he was “a kind and thoroughly decent man and the most committed MP you could ever hope to meet”.Gordon Brown said he was “saddened and shocked” by the MP’s death, while Tony Blair said he was “shocked and horrified” by the killing of “a courteous, decent and thoroughly likeable colleague who was respected across the house”.Sir John Major said: “This is truly heartbreaking news of a good and decent man who – for over 30 years – was a dedicated public servant. My heart goes out to his family.”Mr Johnson’s wife Carrie, who shared Sir David’s passion for animal welfare, was one of the first in the political world to respond to his death.“Absolutely devastating news about Sir David Amess,” she tweeted.“He was hugely kind and good. An enormous animal lover and a true gent. This is so completely unjust. Thoughts are with his wife and their children.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his thoughts were with Sir David’s family.“This is a dark and shocking day,” said Sir Keir. “The whole country will feel it acutely, perhaps the more so because we have, heartbreakingly, been here before.“Above all else, today I am thinking of David, of the dedicated public servant that he was and of the depth of positive impact he had for the people he represented. “Informed by his faith, David had a profound sense of duty that I witnessed firsthand in parliament. His Catholicism was central to his political life and he was highly respected across parliament, within the church and in the Christian community.“Let us come together in response to these horrendous events. We will show once more that violence, intimidation and threats to our democracy will never prevail over the tireless commitment of public servants simply doing their jobs.” More

Tributes have flooded in for the Conservative Party MP Sir David Amess after he was stabbed to death at a surgery meeting in his Southend West constituency in Essex.Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie said the shocking news of Sir David’s attack in Leigh-on-Sea on Friday was “absolutely devastating”.Ms Johnson added: “He was hugely kind and good. An enormous animal lover and a true gent. This is so completely unjust. Thoughts are with his wife and their children.”Brendan Cox, husband of the Labour MP Jo Cox who was murdered in 2016, said: “My thoughts and love are with David’s family. They are all that matter now.”Former prime minister David Cameron said Sir David was “a kind and thoroughly decent man … Words cannot adequately express the horror of what has happened today. Right now, my heart goes out to David’s family.”Theresa May, Mr Johnson’s predecessor at No 10, said the death was “heart-breaking”, adding: “A decent man and respected parliamentarian, killed in his own community while carrying out his public duties. A tragic day for our democracy. My thoughts and prayers are with David’s family.”Former PM Sir John Major also paid tribute to the popular MP. “This is truly heartbreaking news of a good and decent man who, for over 30 years, was a dedicated public servant. My heart goes out to his family.”Health secretary Sajid Javid was among the cabinet members who expressed their shock and grief about the killing. “Devastated to learn of Sir David Amess’ murder,” he said.Mr Javid added: “A great man, a great friend, and a great MP killed while fulfilling his democratic role. My heart goes out to Julia, his family, and all who loved him. Let us remember him and what he did with his life.”Fellow minister Michael Gove said the news was “heartbreakingly sad”. He added: “He was a good and gentle man, he showed charity and compassion to all, his every word and act were marked by kindness.”Foreign secretary Liz Truss said the campaigning MP was “a lovely, lovely man and a superb parliamentarian … My thoughts are with all his family and friends”.Education minister Nadhim Zahawi described him as “a champion for animal welfare, the less fortunate, and the people of Southend West. You will be missed by many”. More

Priti Patel has ordered all police forces to review security arrangements for MPs following the killing of Sir David Amess.The home secretary met police and representatives of the security and intelligence agencies after the 69-year-old MP was fatally stabbed at an advice surgery in his Southend West constituency.She also met Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Commons speaker, who called for a review shortly after news of Sir David’s death broke.Earlier, Ms Patel said she was “devastated” by the loss of Sir David in what she described as an “attack on democracy itself”.“That he was killed while going about his constituency duties is heartbreaking beyond words. It represents a senseless attack on democracy itself,” she said.“Questions are rightly being asked about the safety of our country’s elected representatives and I will provide updates in due course.”Sir Lindsay warned against a “knee-jerk reaction” but vowed Westminster authorities would not “rest on our laurels”. “What we want to do is make sure MPs can carry out their duties. We have got to make sure MPs are safe,” he said.MPs were advised on how to better look after their safety after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016. The Times reported that the amount of money spent protecting MPs rose fivefold to more than £2.5m in the year after her death.In a book published last year, Ayes & Ears: A Survivor’s Guide to Westminster, Sir David reflected on the impact of the murder of Ms Cox and other MPs.He wrote: “The British tradition has always been that members of parliament regularly make themselves available for constituents to meet them face-to-face at their surgeries. Now advice has been given to be more careful when accepting appointments.“We are advised never to see people alone, we must be extra careful when opening post and we must ensure that our offices are properly safe and secure.“In short, these increasing attacks have rather spoilt the great British tradition of the people openly meeting their elected politicians.”Sir David was stabbed at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh at about midday on Friday and died shortly after. He had been an MP since 1983, first serving Basildon, then Southend West from 1997. Essex Police said a 25-year-old man was arrested “immediately” after officers arrived, and a knife recovered. Counter-terror officers had been put in charge of the investigation into the killing by Friday evening. The Independent understands that the suspect is a British national of Somali origin, and the killing is being treated at this point as a probable Islamist terror attack.
Additional reporting by PA More

Home Secretary Priti Patel has ordered an immediate review of MPs security in the wake of the killing of Sir David Amess in his Southend constituency.Ms Patel spoke with Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle in the hours after the veteran MP’s death.Sir Lindsay vowed that Westminster authorities would not “rest on our laurels” but would reassess security arrangements that were heightened following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016.But MPs said that a balance needs to be struck between keeping them safe and allowing constituents easy access so that they have the opportunity to raise concerns and air opinions.Following talks with Sir Lindsay on Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for Ms Patel said: “The home secretary has asked all police forces to review security arrangements for MPs with immediate effect and will provide updates in due course.”Sir Lindsay said that Commons business will be devoted to tributes to Sir David when MPs return from their autumn break on Monday, adding: “Afterwards, we will take out further measures if needed.”The speaker acknowledged that many MPs will be concerned about their safety in constituency “surgeries” of the kind where Sir David was repeatedly stabbed on Friday, where members of the public are invited to raise issues face-to-face.But he said he would personally be going ahead with a planned surgery in his Chorley constituency on Friday evening, declaring: “We can’t afford for democracy to be smashed. Nobody will beat democracy.”The safety of MPs outside the Houses of Parliament is the responsibility of local police forces, but the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) has responsibility for approving funding for security procedures.After Cox was shot and stabbed by a right-wing extremist as she attended a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, changes were made to ensure that MPs were automatically offered security equipment, rather than having to apply for it.And they were advised by police and parliamentary authorities not to meet constituents alone, as well as to be more careful when opening mail and to improve security around their homes and offices.In the four months after Cox’s death, MPs spent around £640,000 on additional security measures, including panic buttons, extra lighting and additional locks at their homes and offices, as well as emergency alarm fobs to carry with them. The bill was four times as much as in the whole of the previous year.Some moved all surgeries to constituency offices where they could be accompanied by staff and had access to alarm systems. Others introduced booking systems to limit numbers and control access.But some, particularly those representing large geographical areas, continued to conduct sessions in churches and community halls and to speak with any member of the public who turned up to raise an issue.There is a strong attachment to the surgery system, which sees MPs operating first-come-first-served discussion sessions with members of the public, and which Sir David himself saw as a crucial means of keeping in close touch with local issues.In his book Ayes and Ears: A Survivor’s Guide to Westminster, published last year, he wrote of the “great British tradition of meeting constituents” as a fundamental element of the democratic system.Cox’s death was the first murder of a sitting MP in 25 years. But it came after the stabbing of Labour MP Stephen Timms at a constituency surgery in 2010, and a samurai sword attack on Liberal Democrat Nigel Jones as he met constituents in Cheltenham in 2000, which resulted in the death of his aide Andrew Pennington.Security at the Palace of Westminster was stepped up following the 2017 murder of PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed at the Carriage Gates by an Islamist extremist who was then shot dead. Armed police were stationed at all entrances, while the physical barriers at the entrance to parliament were also strengthened.Sir David’s predecessor as MP for Basildon, Harvey Proctor, said it was now “time to consider again the security of MPs, especially when they are present at fixed events and times such as constituency surgeries”.Veteran MP David Davis also said that concerns over security had shifted in recent years, from revolving largely around Irish terrorist gangs to focusing on the threat from violent individuals.“This is something that is new,” Mr Davis told Sky News. “We will have to think about this. There is a sort of acidity in public life, possibly because of social media, possibly because of fiercely divisive issues. There is a real issue, particularly with more women and more younger people in the house.”But Mr Davis added: “David of all people would not want us to answer that by putting more distance between ourselves and others. That is the opposite of what he stood for.“There will be a limit to what we can do. We live in an open society, we are not the sort of society where we are surrounded by bodyguards. And David wouldn’t want that.”Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “The reality for us is that we see constituents all the time … we must be available. It’s the most critical bit of what makes the British parliamentary system, I think, one of the most accessible in the world.” More

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has called on Rishi Sunak to impose a year-long rent freeze for all public and private sector tenants in England at the autumn Budget.The senior Labour figure said the measure would relieve pressure on families amid soaring energy bills, rent rises and last week’s contentious cut to universal credit payments for some of the lowest paid in Britain.His intervention comes as the chancellor Mr Sunak prepares to deliver the autumn Budget and spending review on 27 October, after failing to rule out further tax hikes at the Conservative Party conference.Mr McDonnell, a key figure during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party, said a year-long freeze must apply to all tenants, including those with private landlords and housing associations or councils.An analysis earlier this week revealed the proportion of private renters in England in arrears had doubled during the Covid pandemic to around 780,000, with seven per cent behind on payments between April and May 2021.Separate figures released by the government also showed that around 191,000 renters in receipt of universal credit were two or more months behind on rent payments between April and May 2021.“Many families are facing a winter of worry and hardship from the cut in universal credit, hikes in energy prices and record rent rises,” Mr McDonnell said.“It’s really tough and uncertain time for so many. A rent freeze will relieve many of them of major pressure on their household budgets this Christmas and provide increased security that they can afford to keep a decent roof over their heads.“It will also assist the economic recovery from Covid by maintaining demand in our economy.”Pointing to research from the HomeLet Rental Index in September showing that the average rent in the UK is now at a record high of £1,061 – up 7.5 per cent on the same time the previous year – Mr McDonnell’s office said a rent freeze could save all households between £1.2bn and £4.5bn.They added that in Liverpool, for example, over 120,000 private renters pay around £1.2bn a year in rent, with a rent freeze across the city region generating savings between £24m and £95m.During the autumn of 2020, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, urged the communities secretary to give him the powers to freeze private rents in the capital, warning of a “tsunami of evictions” when the government’s moratorium on evictions ended. More

Sir David Amess was the Conservative MP for Southend West and one of Westminster’s longest-serving parliamentarians. A man of considerable conviction, he campaigned for animal rights, opposed abortion and was a staunch Brexiteer.Amess, who has died aged 69 after a fatal stabbing at his constituency surgery, had served as an MP for 38 years. Earlier in his career, he had been parliamentary private secretary to ministers Michael Portillo and Edwina Currie in the Eighties. Amess was born in Plaistow, Essex, in 1952, the son of working-class parents. He later wrote how his modest upbringing had made him “determined to achieve as much of myself as I possibly could, in spite of the fact that I came from a relatively humble background”.He joined the Conservative Party aged 16 and had initially trained as a teacher, working at a primary school in Bethnal Green. But Amess would soon pursue his passion for politics, being first elected as the MP of the Basildon, Essex, constituency in 1983. Following boundary changes, in 1997 he stood for the Southend West constituency. At the most recent 2019 general election he was elected for the seventh time to the seat, with a 59.2 per cent share of the vote with a large majority.Amess had been especially active in campaigning on issues of local importance to his constituents. Only last month, for example, he had spoken in parliament during business questions in support of a pension increase for pre-1997 Ford workers, asking for “a debate on discretionary increases in pensions for Ford employees pre-1997” and emphasising that: “These women and men gave a great deal of their time to the company and they deserve better treatment than they seem to be afforded at the moment.”At the Conservative Party conference earlier this month, he met with representatives from the Alzheimer’s Society, supporting their Cure the Care System campaign, saying at the time: “I will continue working with them on their campaign to ensure that social care reforms brought forward by government meet the needs of the 2,820 people living with dementia in Southend-on-Sea, which is projected to rise to 3,760 by 2030.” More