The family of the murdered MP Sir David Amess is set for a crucial meeting with the Home Secretary today, demanding urgent answers over missed opportunities that may have prevented his death.
A Quest for Accountability and Transparency
Lady Julia Amess and her daughter Katie will hold talks with Shabana Mahmood on Wednesday, 7 January 2026. Katie Amess has framed the meeting as a vital step towards securing "accountability, transparency, and learning lessons properly" regarding her father's killing.
The family has repeatedly called for a full public inquiry into the tragedy, arguing it is the sole route to "real accountability." Their demands were previously rejected by former home secretary Yvette Cooper, a decision the Amess family labelled as "totally unacceptable" and "insulting."
The Prevent Failure and a Devastating Attack
Sir David Amess, a veteran Conservative MP, was stabbed to death at his constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in October 2021. His attacker, Ali Harbi Ali, a supporter of the so-called Islamic State, was given a whole-life prison sentence the following year.
A critical fact underpinning the family's call for an inquiry is that Ali had been referred to the government's Prevent counter-terrorism programme seven years before the murder. However, his case was closed in 2016, years before he carried out the fatal attack.
Family's Unwavering Demand for Justice
In a statement ahead of the meeting, Katie Amess said: "My family’s focus has always been very simple: we want clear, honest answers about what happened, why the system failed, and whether my father’s murder could and should have been prevented."
She emphasised that her father was a devoted public servant and that the failures leading to his death were "not abstract or theoretical, they were real, and they had devastating consequences."
"This meeting is about ensuring that no other family has to endure what we have endured because warnings were missed, risks were underestimated, or opportunities to intervene were not taken," she continued.
The family remains committed to working with the Government but insists the process must be rigorous and independent to honour Sir David's legacy and protect others in public service.
