London — Daughter of murdered MP Amess says politicians still at risk

Katie Amess, daughter of murdered Conservative MP Sir David Amess, says politicians in the United Kingdom remain at risk five years after her father was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery, according to the BBC. She made the comments to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

Sir David, the Conservative MP for Southend West, was killed in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in October 2021. "What happened to my father wasn't an isolated incident," Katie Amess told the BBC. "We are seeing increased threats towards members of parliament."

What happened to Sir David Amess in 2021?

Sir David was stabbed multiple times while meeting constituents at a surgery, the BBC reported. He died at the scene. His daughter has campaigned since then for a public inquiry into the safety of MPs, asking for what she described to the BBC as "the full facts to hand, full openness, honesty, and transparency."

She told the BBC the past five years have been "absolutely devastating and heartbreaking," adding: "It's a very, very real situation that we're living with."

What does the government review aim to do?

The government commissioned a review in August into Sir David's death, the BBC reported, tasked with identifying lessons learned and recommending steps to reduce the risk of future attacks on lawmakers. Sir Robert Buckland, a former Conservative justice secretary, is leading the review and is expected to report within six months, according to the BBC.

The review follows years of escalating concern inside Westminster over the physical safety of elected officials, concern that predates Sir David's murder. Labour MP Jo Cox was killed in 2016, the BBC noted, a case frequently cited alongside Sir David's as evidence that the risk to politicians is not confined to one party or one moment.

Why is Ann Widdecombe's death part of this conversation?

Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe died in July 2026, the BBC reported. The man accused of killing her has also been charged with preparing acts of terror, including an alleged plot against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, according to the BBC.

Widdecombe represented Maidstone and the Weald from 1987 to 2010 and later joined Reform UK in 2019, per the BBC. She was not a sitting MP at the time of her death but remained a prominent political figure. Katie Amess, who knew Widdecombe as a family friend and called her "Aunt Ann," told the BBC: "It's absolutely so tragic and heartbreaking that now she isn't here either." She added: "My dad was murdered five years ago so if so much has changed why are we still seeing other members of parliament or former members of parliament being targeted like this?"

What other threats have surfaced against sitting MPs?

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch confirmed to the BBC that a man who pleaded guilty to sending her threatening messages also sent them to her family. Kieran Kyle, 43, pleaded guilty in September to two counts of sending communications of an indecent or offensive nature to Badenoch and her family, the BBC reported. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29.

Badenoch told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: "I just think that whether it's Nigel Farage, or even Keir Starmer who had his home fire bombed, that there is a threat to politicians that is increasing and we just need to crack down on this." Asked how she copes with threats to her own safety, Badenoch said, according to the BBC, that "it's really tough, but you just have to get on with it."

What is Katie Amess asking for?

Katie Amess has repeated her call for a public inquiry into the safety of politicians, the BBC reported, rather than relying solely on the government-commissioned review now underway under Sir Robert Buckland. Her position rests on a direct comparison: five years, multiple reviews and prosecutions, and still, in her account to the BBC, members and former members of parliament being targeted.

The government has not yet set a date for the Buckland review's findings beyond the six-month window cited by the BBC. No sentencing date beyond October 29 for Kyle, and no further detail on the charges tied to Widdecombe's death, were included in the BBC's reporting.

For now, the record offered by the BBC shows four names tied to threats or violence against UK politicians within roughly a decade: Jo Cox in 2016, Sir David Amess in 2021, Ann Widdecombe in 2026, and ongoing threats against Farage, Starmer and Badenoch. Katie Amess's question to the BBC was whether that record amounts to change or repetition.

Read the original BBC report.