High Peak MP Robert Largan pays tribute to his Conservative colleague Sir David Amess, who was fatally stabbed whilst holding a constituency surgery last week.

On Friday, my colleague Sir David Amess MP was murdered while holding his constituency surgery.

He was stabbed to death while making himself accessible to his constituents, to offer any help that he could, something he had been doing for nearly 40 years of public service as a Member of Parliament.

It’s hard to properly express the sorrow that I feel. Sir David was one of the kindest and gentlest people you could ever meet. He dedicated his life to public service and championing his beloved Essex in Parliament.

I only served alongside David for two years, but it was a privilege to watch him work, masterful parliamentary campaigner that he was. We shared common interests in Parliament, on animal welfare, improving care for endometriosis and on tackling antisemitism.

My thoughts and prayers are with Sir David’s family, his wife and five children.

Since his death, there have been calls in many quarters for MPs to stop holding constituency surgeries.

This is something I firmly disagree with. I’ve always worked hard to be as accessible as possible. I believe that constituency surgeries and being able to talk directly to your MP is a vital part of our democracy. If we were to lose that, we’d lose a part of what makes our democracy so special.

That’s why I went ahead with my weekly help and advice surgery in New Mills on Saturday. We cannot hide away and allow those who seek to destroy our democracy to win.

I want to thank everyone who came along to my surgery, especially those who just went along to say hello and to pass on their condolences and best wishes. I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to send messages expressing their good will and support, including several constituents who very kindly volunteered to come and stand with me while I hold my surgeries. I can’t begin to say how much such gestures mean to me and my family.

We now know that the attack on Sir David was linked to Islamist extremism. We need to think long and hard about what can be done to strengthen Prevent (the Government’s deradicalisation strategy) and whether our intelligence services have the resources they need to keep us all safe.

The news that Ismail Abedi, brother of the Manchester Arena suicide bomber, was allowed to leave the country on Monday before he could appear before the public inquiry, hardly fills me with confidence. Serious questions need to be asked.

In the meantime, I will continue to stand up for the people of High Peak, holding my weekly surgeries. All year round. Whatever the weather. Not just at election time.

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