Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
October 17, 2021
British politicians are some of the most accessible in the world. Even the country's highly secure Parliament, with a dedicated branch of armed police, barriers and metal detectors, is designed to be open to the public, who can enter in a matter of minutes on a quiet day. Politicians are even more accessible in their local area.
This openness is a fundamental strength of the British system. But on Friday, it was violated in a suspected terror attack that killed David Amess, a Conservative politician and a father of five.
He was one of the UK's longest-serving members of Parliament, having been elected in 1983. His career is a success story of British politics. He did not have a privileged upbringing and grew up in London's predominantly working-class East End. But his 40-year tenure won him a knighthood, as well as the nickname "Mr Southend" from his constituents.
The priest at his parish church – Amess was a committed Catholic – summed up his impact on the area, saying he never saw him without a smile on his face and that "he carried that great east London spirit of having no fear and being able to talk to people and the level they're at. Not all politicians, I would say, are good at that".
Julia Amess, the widow of Conservative MP SIr David Amess, was comforted by relatives at Belfairs Methodist Church, where he died, on Monday morning. She stayed for about 15 minutes. PA
Julia Amess (second left), the widow of Conservative MP Sir David Amess, arrives at Belfairs Methodist Church to read tributes left to her late husband. PA
The Rev Clifford Newman of Belfairs Methodist Church hugs Sir David Amess's widow. AP
A daughter of SIr David Amess is comforted as she views flowers and tributes left for her late father. AP
One of Sir David Amess's daughters views flowers and tributes left for her late father at Belfairs Methodist Church. AP
Julia Amess, left, the widow of Sir David Amess, stands with friends and family members to view flowers and tributes left for her late husband. PA
The mayor of Southend, Councillor Margaret Borton, and mace bearer Adam Tregoning visit Belfairs Methodist Church to pay their respects. Getty Images
Police officers stand outside Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, England. Getty Images
A Union Jack flies at half mast after the killing of British MP David Amess. Reuters
A book of condolence inside the Southend West Conservative Association's Iveagh Hall. Getty Images
Flowers with a note for Sir David Amess lie outside Parliament buildings in London. Reuters
A new piece of graffiti artwork depicting the late Sir David Amess appears on a wall in Leigh-on-Sea, England. Getty Images
A photograph of Sir David Amess is placed on a noticeboard outside the Iveagh Hall, the home of the Southend West Conservative Association in Leigh-on-Sea. AP
A Police officer arranges flowers and tributes outside Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North. PA
Armed police officers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. PA
A man was reported to have run into the building and targeted the veteran politician. Police said a suspect had been arrested. AP
A police officer guards the scene. PA
An air ambulance arrived at the scene, before his death was later confirmed by Essex Police. AP
A police cordon was erected around the crime scene and armed officers were seen standing outside the church. AP
In Parliament, he took and could back up clear political and moral positions. But ideology was not everything and he never really sought more senior, ministerial roles, choosing instead to stick by his locality. Tragically, this is where he was killed, while holding a local meeting with constituents.
Such meetings, known as "surgeries", are a fundamental aspect of British democracy. Their nature going forward will now be up for much discussion. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has even called for a temporary pause to all in-person meetings until more security is put in place. Amess is, after all, not the first MP in recent times to be killed in their constituency. In June 2016, Labour Party politician Jo Cox was murdered in Batley and Spen by a far-right extremist. In a tweet after Amess's killing, Cox's former husband, Brendan Cox, wrote: "My thoughts and love are with David’s family. This brings everything back."
Most politicians do not fear being killed for doing their jobs. But a wider culture of harassment and abuse of them is becoming normalised in countries that have permitted a toxic public discourse, whether it be in London or the US Capitol. Murder is arguably the final result of this terrible phenomenon and authorities in the UK must now consider new measures to keep MPs safe, be it police presence at meetings or even a permanent move to remote consultations.
That would be a great loss to the openness of British politics, however. To prevent it and others, people must learn to choose a more fundamental solution: constructive political dialogue over vitriol and anger. Personal and social responsibility to be tolerant will be the only permanent fix, not more security.
After all, as a colleague pointed out, one of the reasons Amess was so loved and respected was because he would have opposed more barriers between him and his constituents.
Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request
What are the regulations?
Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
Should have a live feed of the drone flight
Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
Why seagrass matters
Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return. The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680). Accommodation:The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Results for Stage 2
Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
