Obituary: David Amess – animal rights campaigner and Brexiteer dedicated to his constituents

David Amess was one of those members of Parliament, rarer today than they used to be, who saw his job to be primarily that of looking after his constituents and advancing what he saw as good causes. 

He worked tirelessly for the people of Southend West, increasing his majority incrementally over the years and winning a reputation as someone who would fight hard for those whom he represented regardless of their origins or political bias. As a dedicated animal rights activist, he was a strong supporter of the ban on fox-hunting and successfully steered several bills through the House aimed at improving the welfare of horses, pets and livestock. 

He also lent his name to the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act of 2000 that sought to bring an end to fuel poverty across the UK. 

One of his long-standing campaigns was directed at the creation of a memorial to the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who disappeared into the maws of the Soviet Union after his heroic efforts to save Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust. In 1997, his campaign bore fruit when a statue was unveiled by the Queen outside London’s Western Marble Arch synagogue.  

Throughout his nearly 40 years as an MP, first for Basildon, then, following a redrawing of constituency borders, for neighbouring Southend West, Amess showed no signs of being bothered that he had not been invited to enter the ministerial ranks. While he served for ten years as PPS to Michael Portillo during the latter’s ministerial career, he seemed more interested in getting things done on the ground and representing the voters. 

For this reason, in spite of the fact that he was in some respects a dyed-in-the-wool Tory, he had no known enemies in political life, but was widely respected and held in affection by his colleagues. 

Amess was a practising Catholic, raised as such by his mother, Maud, who died five years ago at the age of 104. His faith sustained him throughout the tribulations associated with political life. Opposed to abortion, he supported attempts to ban the process completely. He was also against same-sex marriage and the extension of gay and LGBT rights, but at the same time spoke in favour of Christian charity as the proper response in relation to issues affecting sexuality. 

If he could ever be said to have been aggressive in his pursuit of political objectives it was probably in relation to Brexit, which he believed was essential if Britain was to recover a full sense of itself and its sovereign destiny. It was, he said, “dangerous” and a “huge mistake” to vote Remain, and after the referendum he joined the Leave Means Leave group of Tory MPs and others which worked to ensure a hard Brexit. 

When Barack Obama warned that leaving the EU would result in the UK going to the back of the queue for a trade deal with America, Amess was moved to say that the President had “absolutely no right whatsoever” to get involved. 

Amess, born on 26 March, 1952, was quietly pleased to be awarded a knighthood in 2015, aged 63. No knight of the shires, having been born in East London and not having attended either public school or Oxbridge, he regarded his career in parliament as a privilege that required of him hard work and dedication – qualities with which he will always be associated. 

He leaves his wife, Julia, who assisted him with his constituency work over many years, and five adult children: a son, David, and four daughters, including the actress and model Katie Amess, whose support for gay rights was the cause of some friction with her father, long-since resolved. 

David Amess was engaged in constituency work at his office in Southend when he was attacked. Having been stabbed multiple times, he succumbed soon afterwards to his injuries. He was 69.