David Amess
Sir David Anthony Andrew Amess was a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for 38 years, serving Southend West from 1997 until his murder in 2021. He previously served as MP for Basildon from 1983 to 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was a Catholic with socially conservative political views, and was in favour of Britain leaving the European Union.
Born and raised in Essex, Amess studied economics and government at Bournemouth University and then had short careers as a primary school teacher, underwriter and recruitment consultant. He was elected a Conservative councillor for Redbridge in 1982 and MP for Basildon at the 1983 general election. His position was seen as a bellwether seat, exemplifying the enthusiasm of the "Essex man" for the government of Margaret Thatcher. He held the seat in the election of 1992, but moved to the safer seat of Southend West at the 1997 general election and served the constituency as MP until his death.
In government, his highest position was as parliamentary private secretary to Michael Portillo for twelve years. He was more prominent as a backbencher, serving on many select committees and sponsoring several pieces of legislation, including the and the. The causes for which he campaigned included animal welfare, awarding city status to Southend-on-Sea, the honouring of Raoul Wallenberg, and support for those suffering from endometriosis.
Amess was knighted in the 2015 New Year Honours for political and public service. On 15 October 2021, Amess was murdered at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea by Ali Harbi Ali, a British Islamic State sympathiser. Southend was granted city status as a memorial to Amess in 2022.
Early life and career
David Anthony Andrew Amess was born on 26 March 1952 in Plaistow, Essex. From a working-class background, he was the son of James Amess, an electrician, and his wife Maud Martin, a dressmaker. Amess was raised Catholic, like his mother. Maud died on 12 October 2016 at the age of 104.Amess attended St Anthony's Junior and Infant School, then St Bonaventure's Grammar School on Boleyn Road in Forest Gate. He said later in life that his political interests stemmed from his time at St Bonaventure's, where he stood for the Revolutionist Party, whose key demands were for minimum pocket money and the abolition of homework; by the time he became an adult, he was a Conservative. As a child he had a stammer, and speech therapy to correct this resulted in the loss of his natural Cockney accent. Amess went on to Bournemouth College of Technology, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics and government. Amess taught disabled children at St John the Baptist Primary School in Bethnal Green for a year, and then spent a short time as an underwriter before becoming a recruitment consultant.
Political career
He unsuccessfully stood as the Conservative candidate for Newham North West in the 1977 Greater London Council election. He contested the safe Labour Party seat of Newham North West at the 1979 general election. The seat was retained by Labour's MP Arthur Lewis. In 1982, Amess was elected as a Conservative councillor to the London Borough of Redbridge's Mayfield ward, with his party forming the majority administration. He served as vice chairman of the Housing Committee from 1982 until 1985 and stood down for the 1986 local elections.The incumbent Conservative MP for Basildon, Harvey Proctor, moved to Billericay in the 1983 general election; Amess was selected to replace him and was elected Member of Parliament for Basildon on 9 June 1983. He exemplified the new demographic of "Essex man" who supported Margaret Thatcher enthusiastically. Campaign described him as "representative of new Essex man, working class, father electrician, right wing, keen hanger, noisily rambunctious, no subtlety".
Amess continued serving as an MP and a local councillor until 1986, when he stood down from Redbridge Borough Council to concentrate on his Westminster seat. He held his Basildon seat narrowly at the 1987 general election, partly by developing a significant personal following. After the election, Amess was appointed a parliamentary private secretary to Michael Portillo, a position he held for ten years throughout Portillo's ministerial career. Amess held his seat again at the 1992 general election, which was the first sign that the Conservatives would unexpectedly win that election; the Basildon constituency was viewed as the make-or-break milestone.
Prior to the 1997 general election, there was a boundary review which divided the Basildon seat into two parts, which were added into two neighbouring seats. At the time, Amess remarked that the Boundary Commission "had raped the town of Basildon" by adding an extra seat there. Given his small majority, the new Basildon constituency was almost certainly going to be gained by Labour. Amess thus decided to seek re-election elsewhere. In June 1995, Amess was selected for Southend West after the retirement of former Cabinet minister Paul Channon. He was consequently returned to Westminster again in the 1997 general election. Angela Evans Smith won the newly-drawn Basildon seat for Labour in 1997 by over 13,000 votes.
Southend city status
Amess was known for being at the centre of a long-running campaign to make Southend-on-Sea, the main town of his constituency, a city. On 18 October 2021, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had agreed to grant Southend city status in his honour. On 1 March 2022, Charles, Prince of Wales, presented the letters patent on behalf of the Queen in the council chamber at Southend Civic Centre, officially granting the town city status.Involvement in legislation
Amess sponsored many bills in Parliament, including the Protection against Cruel Tethering Act 1988, and the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000.In 2014, he helped to pass the Security Printing Materials Bill. This bill ended a loophole which allowed companies who supplied specialist printing equipment to counterfeiters to evade prosecution.
In 2016, he helped to pass the Driving Instructors Bill. This statute streamlined the process whereby instructors whose registration has lapsed can apply to return to the register. It also allowed instructors who wish to leave the register for personal reasons to do so without being penalised. Driving school owners and motoring organisations supported the bill.
Protection against Cruel Tethering Act 1988
The Protection against Cruel Tethering Act came about as a result of Amess's long-standing concern for animal welfare, supported by the National Farmers' Union. Amess stated in the House of Commons that the Ten Minute Rule bill was "inspired by the Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society". The bill stated:In section 1 of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 there shall be added in subsection the following words after paragraph "or shall tether any horse, ass or mule under such conditions or in such manner as to cause that animal unnecessary suffering …
Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000
Amess's most publicised legislative success came in 2000 with the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act. According to a speech in the House of Commons made by Amess, the Act came to fruition after he was drawn out of the Private Members Ballot. He met with Martyn Williams, a campaigner from Friends of the Earth, who convinced him of the need for the Act following on from the death of a constituent in a cold house.The Act required the Secretary of State to "publish and implement a strategy for reducing fuel poverty".
This Act was widely credited with a significant change in both attitude and policy towards fuel poverty within the UK. The scale of fuel poverty in England fell from 5.1 million households to 1.2 million households between 1996 and 2004, indicating the impact of the Act.