Michael Fabricant says:

“The murder of Sir David Amess at one of his surgeries has shocked us all.   And shock must have been the very motive of David’s killer.  Everyone has talked about what a lovely man David was and that really was the case.  He was a friend of mine so the sadness off his loss is particularly poignant for me.  He cared passionately about animal welfare and his desire for his town of Southend to be named a ‘City’ which was backed by his local town council.  I believe ‘The City of Southend’ would be a fitting memorial for David.

“No MP can be completely safe unless we cut ourselves off completely from our community.  That would be highly undesirable and wrong.  I enjoy meeting and being accessible to constituents in Lichfield District.  But I do believe that it is safer for MPs to conduct their surgeries by appointment – like seeing a GP – rather than publicising in advance a venue and its location with anyone being able to walk in off the street.  This is what the police prefer and most MPs already conduct their surgeries in this way, but sadly, not all.

“The security services, Home Office, and the Office of Speaker of the House of Commons are all conducting reviews into the security of MPs.  I hope that their findings do not prevent the close contact between MPs and the electorate they serve, but will provide additional security.

“In the meantime, my heart goes out to David’s wife and family.”