On 15 October 2021, Sir David Amess, a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Southend West, was fatally stabbed at a constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church Hall in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

He held no senior positions during his career but was described by journalist Nick Paton Walsh as an "instantly recognisable" member of the Conservative Party,[1] and was knighted for his political and public service in 2015.

He was a devout Catholic and a socially conservative politician who opposed abortion, supported capital punishment, and campaigned in favour of Brexit.

[1][4] Amess's voting record on UK airstrikes in Syria as well as his membership with the Conservative Friends of Israel were later cited by Ali as motives for his murder.

[5][6] Ali said during police interviews that he had been influenced by the propaganda of Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, who had called on Muslims to attack people in their home countries who were deemed to be enemies of the Islamic State.

Amess wrote in his 2020 autobiography that fears of similar attacks "rather spoilt the great British tradition of the people openly meeting their elected politicians", and that he had faced "nuisance from the odd member of the general public" and insecurity at his own home.

[12][13][14] He held a virtual meeting on Zoom with a colleague[15][16] and talked to local residents on the steps of the hall before entering the building around 12:05 pm, accompanied by two female members of staff, to speak with people who had arrived earlier.

While inside the church hall, a man armed with a knife emerged from a group of constituents and stabbed Amess multiple times.

[20] An air ambulance landed at Belfairs Sports Ground to take Amess to hospital, but the medical team decided that his condition was not stable enough to transport him and so continued to work on him at the scene.

[17][12][18][21][4] [further explanation needed] Following the attack, Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to London, where flags were lowered to half-mast.

[32][33] Following the killing, British Catholic policymakers issued statements affirming Amess's commitment to his faith and lauding his achievements.

[35] On 16 October, Johnson and Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer, accompanied by Hoyle and Home Secretary Priti Patel, laid wreaths at the church hall where Amess was killed.

[44] During tributes to Amess in the House of Commons on 18 October, Johnson announced that Queen Elizabeth II had consented to Southend being given city status.

[45][46] Southend officially became a city at a ceremony on 1 March 2022, with Charles, Prince of Wales, presenting letters patent from the Queen.

Major and minor parties announced they would not stand a candidate to oppose the Conservatives as a sign of respect, following the precedent set in the 2016 Batley and Spen by-election following the murder of Jo Cox.

"[52] On 15 October, the MCB issued a formal statement re-affirming the importance of elected officials to be able to serve their communities without threats to their safety.

[59] On 21 October 2021, a prosecutor told Westminster Magistrates' Court that Ali considered himself an affiliate of the Islamic State and that he had planned the attack two years in advance.

The coroner's office told the inquest that a post-mortem examination had confirmed that Amess had died from multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Prosecutor Tom Little QC described the defendant as a "radicalised Islamist terrorist" and described the killing as a "murder carried out because of a warped and twisted and violent ideology".

[87][88] This was criticised as irrelevant by privacy campaigners,[89][90] including Ruth Smeeth, who said "there is no evidence to suggest that there was any link between Sir David's death and online anonymity.