David Amess Murder and the UK’s History of Attacks Against Politicians

The U.K. is in a state of horrified shock after the murder of MP David Amess on Oct. 15, 2021. This unprovoked attack has prompted many prominent figures in the country to contemplate the safety of politicians, especially considering this is the fourth attack of an MP since the year 2000, and the third to cause a fatality.

Amess, MP for Southend West, was greeting constituents at his weekly Friday afternoon meeting, this time at Belfairs Methodist Church. He had just finished talking to some people on the steps of the church when he entered and was immediately affronted by a man holding a knife. The perpetrator, Ali Harbi Ali, stabbed Amess several times and was arrested within minutes when the police arrived at the scene. Paramedics worked on Amess for almost three hours, but he was unfortunately pronounced dead before getting the chance to move him to hospital.

The attack is being treated as a terrorist act by the police. Ali had not been on the MI5 watch list for possible terrorist activity, but a few years ago was referred to a counter-terrorist scheme that aims to stop vulnerable people from being radicalized.

For 38 years Amess had been an MP in Essex, first in Basildon and then in Southend West since 1997. He was passionate about animal rights and has campaigned against fox hunting, an unusual and admirable stance from a Conservative MP. His main passion, however, was for his town, Southend. Almost weekly since becoming MP for the area, Amess had asked the Prime Minister to consider granting Southend city status, and after his death, as a tribute to this great man, the PM and the Queen have agreed that this will now become a reality. Boris Johnson, upon announcing the granting of city status, said, of David Amess, “He was not a man in awe of this chamber, nor a man who sought patronage or advancement. He simply wanted to serve the people of Essex, first in Basildon, then in Southend. And it was in the act of serving his constituents that he was so cruelly killed.”

This attack comes only 5 years after the murder of Jo Cox, then MP of Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, on June 16, 2016. Cox had only been an MP for a year when she was attacked and had campaigned strongly for diversity in her constituency and the country, saying in her maiden speech “while we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.” This brought her to the attention of Thomas Mair, a far-right neo-Nazi who believed that white people are the superior race.

Similar to Amess, she was on her way to a constituents’ surgery when she was attacked. Mair, who had gotten hold of an illegal firearm, shot her three times and stabbed her fifteen times, shouting a nationalist slogan. He had no criminal record, nor was he a member of any far-right groups, so was not brought to the attention of the police in any way until he committed this horrendous crime.

Brendan Cox, Jo Cox’s widower, was deeply affected when he heard of the murder of David Amess. On Twitter, he commented, “My thoughts and love are with David’s family. They are all that matter now. This brings everything back. The pain, the loss, but also how much love the public gave us following the loss of Jo. I hope we can do the same for David now.”

Amess had campaigned for Southend’s city status for almost forty years, and it was finally granted after his untimely death | Getty

Not all attacks on MPs have been fatal, such as the one that happened on May 14, 2010. Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham, was at his constituents’ surgery in Beckton, when he was visited by a woman called Roshonara Choudhry. She had already been offered an audience with Timms’ assistant but was insistent on seeing the MP himself, so waited outside his office until he was available. Once allowed in for her appointment, she reached forward as though to shake his hand, but instead stabbed him twice in the stomach with a kitchen knife. Although badly injured, Timms survived the attack and continues to represent East Ham as its MP.

Originally, Choudhry’s attack was thought to be caused by mental health issues, but after her arrest, it was revealed that she had been radicalized through watching online sermons by Anwar al-Awlaki, a member of the al-Qaida who masterminded several terrorist attacks. Consequently, she was the first Briton to attempt the assassination of a politician as a result of al-Qaida teachings. When questioned, she said that the murder attempt was as “punishment” for Timms voting for the Iraq war.

Unfortunately, it is not just the politicians themselves that have been victims of these kinds of attacks. On Jan. 28, 2000, Nigel Jones, MP for Cheltenham, was conducting his weekly constituents’ surgery, when a man in a tightly buttoned overcoat entered his office. Jones offered the visitor to take a seat, but instead, he reached into his coat and produced a katana. He lashed out at Jones, who raised his arms in defense, gaining wounds on his hands and arms. Jones’ aide, Andy Pennington, tackled the man and told the MP to look for help. Whilst Jones was outside shouting for help, the attacker, Robert Ashman, got hold of the sword again and stabbed Pennington several times. The aide died in the arms of a local shop owner before paramedics could reach the scene.

Robert Ashman had been in trouble with the law before, after breaking the ribs of a debt collector in 1992. He evaded a prison sentence in that instance because of a character reference written by Nigel Jones stating that it was not in his usual character to engage in violent activity. After the death of his aide, Jones admitted remorse for writing the reference years before, wishing that the man had been safely away in prison. Aside from his violent temperament, Ashman also had crippling mental health issues after losing his job, his wife, his home, and getting into a large amount of debt. He became convinced that there was a conspiracy against him, and that Jones was involved in it. This was the last straw for Ashman, and what inspired his gruesome attack.

Andy Pennington, party aide, and Gloucestershire County councilor, was remembered fondly in tributes after his death. Nigel Jones said that "He was a giant of a person, who devoted his whole adult life to serving the community. Nobody could have worked harder than Andy to help people.” He was posthumously awarded the George Medal for saving Jones’ life, an award that is reserved only for civilians who perform amazing feats of bravery.

If attacks like this continue to happen during constituents’ surgeries, democracy as we know it will disappear. Gone will be the days of personal interaction with an MP, where constituents can voice their needs and concerns. Local politics will become faceless and cold, with little or no trust between politicians and the people they govern. Something needs to change in the attitudes of British people so that they no longer use politicians as a scapegoat for all their problems.