He remained a long-term and vocal Eurosceptic, supporting Brexit in the EU referendum and joining Leave Means Leave, a pro-Brexit campaign.

One of Westminster's longest-serving MPs, he served as an aide to Michael Portillo during the Thatcher and Major administrations.

Read more: Sir David Amess MP for Southend West dies after attack

A keen campaigner, he launched an all-party Parliamentary group in March 2018 to raise awareness of the condition endometriosis after a constituent raised the issue with him at a surgery.

She said while affecting around 1 in 10 women, there was very little public awareness of the condition.

The experiences of those living with endometriosis have since been raised a number of times in the Commons.

The group launched an inquiry in February 2020 to find out more about the experiences of those living with the condition, receiving more than 10,000 responses to its patient survey and held four oral evidence sessions where the first-hand experiences of those who suffer from the condition were heard.

The findings of this inquiry were launched in October 2020 and showed the reality of living with endometriosis, including that average diagnosis time is still 8 years.

Read more: A look back on the successful career of our Southend West MP

Arguably his most publicised legislative success came in 2000 with the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act.

Making a speech in the Commons, Amess said he was convinced of the need for the Act after meeting with a Friends of the Earth campaigner following the death of a constituent in a cold house.

The Act is now widely credited with bringing about a significant change in attitude and policy towards fuel poverty in the UK.

Amess served on the Health Select Committee from 1998 until 2007 and has campaigned on various health issues since.