The daughter of murdered MP Sir David Amess has said MPs remain under threat despite increased security, as the fifth anniversary of his death approaches.
Katie Amess warns questions remain over how her father was killed while serving as Southend West MP.
Sir David was fatally stabbed during a constituency surgery on October 15, 2021, by Ali Harbi Ali, an Islamic State supporter.
Widely known for holding regular constituency surgeries, Sir David represented Basildon in Parliament for 14 years before becoming MP for Southend West in 1997, retaining strong links across south Essex throughout his political career.
Ms Amess has welcomed the Government’s decision to appoint former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland KC to lead an independent review into the circumstances of the murder but insists the process must be thorough and uncompromising.
Ms Amess said: "The review has to be meaningful.
"It has to be independent.
"It has to follow the evidence wherever it leads and it has to be prepared to confront uncomfortable truths if that is what the evidence shows."
Sir David’s family has criticised previous reviews for failing to address shortcomings in the Government’s Prevent counter-terrorism programme.
Ali was referred to Prevent in 2014 but discharged after just one meeting with a mentor, despite being recommended for six additional sessions.
An earlier review by independent Prevent commissioner David Anderson KC found that Ali’s case had been closed too early.
Ms Amess said: "Five years after my father was murdered while carrying out his duty to his constituents, I am still asking how this was allowed to happen.
"My father was not simply a politician.
"He was a husband, a father, a friend and a man who had devoted almost 40 years of his life to public service."
She remains concerned that improved security for MPs does not answer whether Sir David could have been protected.
She said: "We cannot simply say that the security arrangements are better now and therefore everything is fine.
"We need to understand what happened to my father and why."
She called the murder an attack on democracy and warned that fear could damage the vital bond between MPs and the public.
The upcoming fifth anniversary of Sir David’s death comes as security for MPs remains under scrutiny, following the 2016 killing of Labour MP Jo Cox and the more recent murder of former MP and Reform spokesperson Ann Widdecombe earlier this year.
Ms Amess said: "My father should still be here.
"He should still be going into Parliament.
"He should still be helping his constituents.
"Instead, five years later, we continue to live with an absence that can never be filled."
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