Veteran parliamentarian Sir David Amess died after being stabbed at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea on Friday.
He had been holding his constituency surgery – where MPs meet their constituents to discuss issues that the parliamentarians can help with.
A 25-year-old suspect, Ali Harbi Ali, remains in police custody on suspicion of the Conservative MP’s murder and is being held under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
The attack on the Southend MP last week, which police are ascribing to Islamist terrorism, has led to fresh scrutiny over the security of MPs.
It comes just five years after Batley and Spen MP, Jo Cox, was murdered by a far right extremist.
Local parliamentarians have said despite the risks, they have no plans to change their security arrangements.
Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark, said yesterday (Tuesday) he was ‘devastated’ on hearing the news of the death of Mr Amess, who he described as the ‘warmest, most encouraging and generous-spirited of colleagues’.
Mr Clark had been on the way to his own surgery at the Gateway in Tunbridge Wells when he heard of the attack. He went on to meet his constituents as the news continued to break.
He told the Times that despite the death of his fellow back bencher, he would not be making any changes to his surgery meetings.
He said: “I think that it is essential to my work as an MP that I am able to be in constant touch with my constituents, including meeting face to face.
“At my constituency surgeries people come to see me for help with difficult and often personal problems and meeting in person can often be the best way to understand and act on them.
“I am conscious of the risks involved – including those to my hardworking team – and we do take precautions. The local police have always been very helpful in keeping us safe.
“But at the end of the day I want to be – and enjoy being- accessible to any constituents who wants to talk about a policy or needs my help.”
Tonbridge MP Tom Tugendhat also spoke on the tragedy, at the weekend, saying: “Political violence – sometimes by individuals, sometimes by militias – has caused anguish and pain and achieved nothing. Thousands have been murdered, my friend David Amess is the last of so many. He would be praying he’s the last.”
His office told the Times yesterday that as with most members of parliament Mr Tugendhat had been on the receiving end of ‘plenty of abuse’, but he would not be making any changes to his security in the wake of the death on Friday, as the MP wanted to be ‘open and accessible as possible’.
Wealden MP Nus Ghani was unavailable to comment, but she expressed her shock at her colleague’s death at the weekend, saying: “The threat of violence and actual violence against MPs, just going about serving the public is getting worse.”
