David Amess
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Sir David Anthony Andrew Amess ( AY-miss; 26 March 1952 – 15 October 2021) was a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 38 years, serving Southend West from 1997 until his murder in 2021. He previously served as MP for Basildon from 1983 to 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was a Catholic with socially conservative political views, and was in favour of Britain leaving the European Union. Born and raised in Essex, Amess studied economics and government at Bournemouth University and then had short careers as a primary school teacher, underwriter and recruitment consultant. He was elected a Conservative councillor for Redbridge in 1982 and MP for Basildon at the 1983 general election. His position was seen as a bellwether seat, exemplifying the enthusiasm of the "Essex man" for the government of Margaret Thatcher. He held the seat in the election of 1992, but moved to the safer seat of Southend West at the 1997 general election and served the constituency as MP until his death. In government, his highest position was as parliamentary private secretary to Michael Portillo for twelve years. He was more prominent as a backbencher, serving on many select committees and sponsoring several pieces of legislation, including the Protection against Cruel Tethering Act 1988 and the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000. The causes for which he campaigned included animal welfare, awarding city status to Southend-on-Sea, the honouring of Raoul Wallenberg, and support for those suffering from endometriosis.
Amess was knighted in the 2015 New Year Honours for political and public service. On 15 October 2021, Amess was murdered at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea by Ali Harbi Ali, a British Islamic State sympathiser. Southend was granted city status as a memorial to Amess in 2022.