It was business as usual as MPs held constituency surgeries less than 24 hours after the death of Sir David Amess. Amess was killed while meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea on Friday, five-and-a-half years after Jo Cox, a Labour MP, was killed by a far-right extremist. Some MPs on Saturday called for a review of safety procedures before resuming meetings with constituents. But Alec Shelbrooke held a surgery at a local supermarket, and said he would continue to do so even if he had to “add a few more precautions”. The Conservative MP for Elmet and Rothwell tweeted: “We cannot let events like this diminish the deep relationship between an MP and their constituents. “This is a relationship I value deeply: I want my constituents, regardless of whether they voted for me or not, to be able to approach me in the street, in the pub, at the supermarket or at one of my surgeries. “I love that my constituents feel they can approach me in this way and the ability to do so is a foundation of British democracy.”
Robert Largan, Conservative MP for High Peak, tweeted: “Thanks to everyone who came to my surgery this morning, especially those who just came to say hello & wish me well. “It really does mean a lot. I’ll keep on doing my weekly surgery, all year round, whatever the weather! We all need to stand up for our democracy!” Craig Williams, MP for Montgomeryshire, also held a surgery on Saturday alongside his Conservative colleague from the Welsh parliament, Russell George. Williams tweeted: “Busy surgery with russ-george in #Guilsfield this morning. Thought of Sir David Amess throughout. A special shout out to DyfedPowys for their presence and reassurance. #Montgomeryshire” Kieran Mullan, the Tory MP for Crewe and Nantwich, tweeted: “Surgery today, we must not let people force us to do things differently. David would not have wanted that.” Some MPs sounded a more cautious note on Saturday, with Tobias Ellwood calling for a pause of face-to-face meetings until a safety review had been completed. Labour MP Harriet Harman said she would be in favour of a Speaker’s Conference to review the safety of parliamentarians. Amess, who had been an MP since 1983, was fatally injured in a constituency surgery on Friday. A 25-year-old man arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder remained in custody at an Essex police station on Saturday.