David Amess is known as a staunch right-winger, having been a Eurosceptic for years before the referendum campaign
He was one of the longest-serving Conservative MPs and a staunch right-winger and Eurosceptic – but Sir David Amess was also proudly East End and shared a special bond with his constituents.
While some of his more illustrious colleagues graced the halls of Oxford, Cambridge and Eton, he studied economics and government at the College of Technology in Bournemouth before working as a teacher and recruitment consultant.
He was born in Plaistow in London and both his parents came from relatively poor backgrounds. His mother was a Catholic and Sir David shared her beliefs.
Sir David, 69, was first elected in Margaret Thatcher’s 1983 landslide and was an opponent of same-sex marriage and anti-abortion, but also took some less traditional Conservative positions – including campaigning against fox-hunting.
That was just one example of his animal-loving credentials with Sir David regularly pictured posing with his dogs – and he even called for a ban on animal testing last month.
Another burning passion was his campaign to have Southend recognised as a city.
Sir David also came to public attention in 1997 when he was tricked into condemning a made up drug called ‘Cake’ on the satirical TV programme Brass Eye.
Despite his true-blue credentials he was popular across the political divide, known as a family man and a hard-working constituency MP.
His popularity across parliament was seen in the heartfelt tributes that poured in after his death.
One of his four daughters with wife Julia, Katie, is an actress and model who was named Miss Essex in 2008.
Sir David with his wife Julia Arnold and his four daughters. The couple also have a son together
David Amess and wife Julia, with their fourth child, baby daughter Alexandra. They are pictured with two of their other children, David and Katherine
Sir David pictured with his pet Vivienne when they entered the Westminster Dog of the Year competition
Sir David released this photo shortly after he was knighted in 2015 for political and public service
Katie appeared in a movie spoof called Misérable Lesbians, which aimed to promote gay equality
In the film, she plays ‘Courgette’ – a play on the character of Cosette in the original Les Misérables. She is a young girl who ‘fights the good fight’ in revolutionary France to help a rebel band of lesbians achieve their goal of sexual freedom.
She admitted the film ‘was not her father’s cup of tea’.
On his website, he described his main areas of expertise as ‘animal welfare and pro-life issues’.
The MP was never a minister during his near-four decade stint in parliament, although he was briefly a ministerial aide.
However, he held a number of important behind-the-scenes roles – which were rewarded when he was knighted in 2015 for political and public service.
Sir David was a member of the Health Committee, and also served on the Administration Committee – which oversees the Parliamentary facilities such as catering.
He has been on the ‘Panel of Chairs’ at the Commons, making him one of the senior MPs who fill in for Speaker Lindsay Hoyle chairing debates.
Sir David was educated at a grammar school in London and then Bournemouth University, before becoming a recruitment consultant.
He contested and won Basildon for the Tories in 1983, when Mrs Thatcher trounced Michael Foot to secure an 144 majority.
However, when the seat was redrawn in 1997 he saw it would inevitably be taken by Labour, and was selected for Southend West.
He held the constituency at the last election with a majority of more than 14,000.
Sir David was regularly pictured posing with his dogs – and he even called for a ban on animal testing last month
The 69-year-old has been an opponent of same-sex marriage and anti-abortion, but also took some less traditional Conservative positions – including campaigning against fox-hunting
His daughter Katie (blonde second right) appeared in a movie spoof called Misérable Lesbians, which aimed to promote gay equality
In 2005, Sir David supported the Prohibition of Abortion Bill, which would have seen abortion banned almost entirely across England and Wales.
He was also a supporter of the return of capital punishment.
In 2018, he launched the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Endometriosis which looks to raise awareness of those suffering from the condition.
He consistently opposed the Iraq War and was among few Conservative MPs to have supported a campaign to impeach Tony Blair.
Last year, Sir David published a book titled ‘Ayes & Ears: A Survivor’s Guide to Westminster’.
In the book Sir David wrote how, with hindsight, his ‘drive and hunger to succeed were the lasting effects of those early years’.
‘I was determined to achieve as much of myself as I possibly could, in spite of the fact that I came from a relatively humble background,’ he added.