SOUTHEND ON CITY
Southend WILL become a city in tribute to Sir David Amess after years-long campaign by murdered MP
MURDERED MP Sir David Amess’s long-held wish was granted yesterday as the Queen made his beloved Southend-on-Sea a city.
The Tory veteran had spent two decades championing the town, which Boris Johnson said would be granted city status to honour one of the “nicest, kindest and most gentle” MPs.
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Last night, a close pal said: “I am sure David will be looking down on us now saying, ‘My work in Southend is now complete’.”
It came as Sir David’s devastated widow and children bravely visited the scene of his murder in Leigh-on-Sea to lay flowers and read the many tributes and messages of love.
In the Commons, Mr Johnson praised his colleague who he said “simply wanted to serve the people of Essex” as a hard-working backbench Conservative.
Visibly moved colleagues left Sir David’s usual seat on the green benches empty as black-clad MPs from all sides of the political divide lined up to praise their lost friend.
Later, they joined in prayer and song at an emotional service at St Margaret’s Church near Parliament.
The PM said: “Sir David was taken from us in a contemptible act of violence striking at the core of what it is to be a member of this House and violating both the sanctity of the church in which he was killed and the constituency surgery that is so essential to our representative democracy.
“Sir David was a patriot who believed passionately in this country, in its people and in its future.”
And MPs cheered as the PM announced: “As it is only a short time since Sir David last put that very case to me in this chamber, I am happy to announce that Her Majesty has agreed that Southend will be accorded the city status it so clearly deserves.”
The leader of the Southend Conservative group, Cllr Tony Cox, said: “I cannot thank Her Majesty the Queen and the Prime Minister enough for granting that legacy, but what truly breaks my heart is that [Sir David] is not around to see it.”
Southend United FC tweeted: “The City of Southend. A fitting tribute to MP Sir David Amess.”
In an emotionally charged session of Parliament, colleagues yesterday hailed Sir David as “the best of us”.
Many MPs wiped away tears as they listened to their colleagues share stories about Sir David’s warmth, wit and utter devotion to the locals in Essex whom he spent nearly four decades representing.
Mr Johnson said: “That Sir David spent almost 40 years in this House, but not one day in ministerial office, tells everything about where his priorities lay.”
Tory Mark Francois — MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, just down the road from Sir David’s Southend West constituency — wept in the Chamber as he spoke of his “best and oldest friend in politics”.
He recalled his friend’s “Essex cheeky-chappie smile, that impish Amess grin, always with a hint of gentle mischief behind it”.
But he revealed that Sir David had recently warned of his despair at the “toxic environment” MPs today have to work in.
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He called for a new David’s Law to be created so MPs “can no longer be vilified or their families subject to the most horrendous abuse, especially from people who hide behind a cloak of anonymity” online.
Venting his fury at Twitter and others, Mr Francois added: “If the social media companies don’t want to help us drain the Twitter swamp, then let’s compel them to do it by law because they’ve had more than enough chances to do it voluntarily.”
Turning to the PM and Cabinet, who sat heads bowed in the front row, he urged them to act so Sir David “will not have died in vain”.
There were lighter moments, too, as the House heard how Sir David had charmed the Pope, bagged a personal tour of No10 from Margaret Thatcher and never held back on collaring Prime Ministers about issues he deemed important.
Tory James Duddridge, MP for Southend East, told how Sir David got a boiled sweet blessed by the Pope on a trip to the Vatican.
He said the late MP accidentally brandished the treat as His Holiness walked past.
To loud laughs from MPs, Mr Duddridge said: “The Pope took the sweet thinking it was a revered object to be blessed, blessed the revered object and David had to put it in his pocket — a holy sweet.”
Former PM Theresa May said every MP had “lost a friend” as she hailed Sir David’s “laughter, service, compassion”.
And close pal Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford, hailed Sir David as “one of the best people I have ever known in my entire life”.
Former Cabinet Minister John Whittingdale, also an MP in Essex, said: “David was quite simply the best of us.”
At a sombre service at St Margaret’s last night, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave an address and both Mr Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer appeared tearful and overcome with emotion.
At Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh, heartbroken Julia Amess, 67, wiped away tears while she linked arms with her daughters as they visited the site where Sir David was stabbed to death on Friday.
The family formed a crescent in front of the sea of floral tributes and cards, leaning into each other for support.
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Mrs Amess, who worked for her husband as a caseworker, was flanked by daughters Flo, 30, and Katie, 36, and their husbands. Her other daughters Alexandra, 31, Sarah, 33, and son David, 37, did not attend yesterday.
Rev Clifford Newman hugged Sir David’s widow before giving a short private address. Ali Harbi Ali, 25, is being held over the stabbing of Sir David.
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Moment of silence held in House for Commons to remember MP Sir David Amess
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