Thank you so much for your extremely kind messages. I’m heartbroken for Sir David Amess’ family, friends and staff having to make sense of this hateful act. He was on my corridor in Parliament. A kind, gentle colleague filled with wisdom and humour for us new MPs. You would struggle to find a more devoted local MP. He was an example to us all.
I need to keep my staff safe, so I will be reviewing security. However, my number one ambition in this role is to be an accessible MP, someone who you feel is visible and easy to reach. Like many MPs yesterday, I continued with the rest of my day’s engagements after the news broke and I plan to keep going.
Politicians sadly have always attracted the obsessive grievances of disturbed individuals. But we can’t stop being with our constituents. It is a core part of our democracy that keeps us rooted in the things that matter to residents and builds the relationships we need to affect change.
