UK lawmaker stabbed to death while meeting with constituents

Police gave no immediate details on the motive for the killing of 69-year-old Conservative lawmaker David Amess and did not identify the suspect, who was held on suspicion of murder.

The attack came five years after another MP, Jo Cox, was murdered by a far-right extremist in her small-town constituency, and it 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.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he and his Cabinet were “deeply shocked and heart-stricken.” “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,” Johnson said. The prime minister would not say whether the attack meant politicians needed tighter security, saying, “We must really leave the police to get on with their investigation.”

Essex Police said officers were called to reports of a stabbing in the town of Leigh-on-Sea just after noon. They arrested a man and recovered a knife.

“We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the wider public,” police said.

Sky News and other media said Amess was attacked during a regular meeting with constituents at a Methodist church in a residential section of the seaside town about 40 miles (62 kilometers) east of London. Paramedics worked at the scene without success to save his life.

Amess had been a member of Parliament for Southend West, which includes Leigh-on-Sea, since 1997, and had been a lawmaker since 1983, making him one of the longest-serving politicians in the House of Commons.

A social conservative on the right of his party, he was a well-liked figure with a reputation for working hard for his constituents and campaigning ceaselessly to have Southend declared a city.