(Washington Insider Magazine) -After British lawmaker David Amess was stabbed to death several times while at a constituency meeting on Oct. 15, U.K. officials are concerned about their safety in meetings going forward.
Amess, 69, was a member of Boris Johnson’s ruling Conservative Party who represented Southend West in Essex. Amess entered Parliament in 1983 and served in the House of Commons up until his murder, which made him one of the longest-tenured lawmakers in the chamber.
Amess’ political views included supporting the return of capital punishment, supporting those who suffer endometriosis, animal welfare, and the ban on fox hunting … along with Brexit. He also opposed abortion.
His most noteworthy accomplishments in Parliament were the Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act, and the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act. The PACTA was conjured in 1988 to protect horses, asses and mules against cruel tethering. The WHECA came about in 2000, which required the Secretary of State to publish and implement a strategy for reducing fuel poverty.
In 2014, he piloted the Security Printing Materials Bill, which ended a loophole that allowed companies supplying specialist printing equipment to counterfeiters to evade prosecution.
Despite the positive feedback he received from some of these policies, however, it did not stop what police are calling a “terrorist incident” from happening. Amess was in a surgery – a one-on-one meeting with voters – with no security present when the attack happened.
Police confirmed with The Press Association the suspect is a British national with Somali heritage.
This is now the second time in five years a British lawmaker was killed at a constituency meeting after Jo Cox was stabbed and shot in 2016 by an extreme right-wing supporter for wanting to stay in the European Union.
This is also the fourth time since 2000 a British lawmaker was attacked during a constituency meeting, as Nigel Jones (2000) and Stephen Timms (2010) survived their encounters.
