Almost four years after the murder of her father, Conservative MP Sir David Amess, Katie Amess says she will never fully recover and believes little has been done to prevent future tragedies. Sir David was stabbed 21 times by an Islamic State sympathiser at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in October 2021.
The last time Katie saw her father, he dropped her at Heathrow Airport for her flight to Los Angeles. They were both excited about her upcoming wedding, planned for the House of Commons. Instead, four weeks later, he was killed. He was buried in the suit he was to wear at the wedding, and the music intended for her walk down the aisle was played at his funeral.
Katie has criticised the lack of scrutiny following the murder. The killer, Ali Harbi Ali, had been referred to the government’s Prevent counter-terrorism programme by his school, but after a single home visit and a brief meeting in a McDonald’s, he was deemed a “pleasant and informed young man” and no further action was taken. Katie believes there has been no accountability for the officials involved.
The Home Office commissioned a rapid review by Lord Anderson, the interim Prevent commissioner, published last week. It concluded that the “unhappy story” of Ali’s engagement with Prevent had been “squeezed almost dry”. Katie disagrees, saying: “All we want is for someone to say: ‘We’re sorry. This is what happened, these are the mistakes made and this is what we’re doing to make sure it never happens again.’ I shouldn’t have to fight for answers.”
David Amess, a working-class Catholic Conservative, had been an Essex MP for 38 years. Katie describes him as a present and fun father, despite his demanding role. She says he had no ambitions for higher office and was committed to his constituency. She will continue to push for a full inquiry into the circumstances of his murder.
