'Shocked and saddened': Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pay tribute to Sir David Amess

15 October 2021, 20:12 | Updated: 15 October 2021, 23:57

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have paid tribute to Sir David Amess and said they are "shocked and saddened" by his murder.

In a tweet, signed off by Kate Middleton and Prince William themselves, the pair said said Sir David "dedicated" 40 years to serving his constituents and offered their thoughts and prayers to his loved ones and colleagues.

"We are shocked and saddened by the murder of Sir David Amess, who dedicated 40 years of his life to serving his community," read the tweet.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues. W & C"

Sir David Amess was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery in Essex on Friday.

Tributes have poured in from across the political sphere, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying he was "heartstricken" by the loss of "one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his "heart goes out" to Sir David's children, staff, friends and constituents and described it as a "dark and shocking day".

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"Above all else, today I am thinking of David, of the dedicated public servant that he was and of the depth of positive impact he had for the people he represented," said Sir Keir, adding that Sir David had a "profound sense of duty" and was "highly respected across Parliament, within the church and in the Christian community".

"Let us come together in response to these horrendous events," the Labour leader added.

"We will show once more that violence, intimidation and threats to our democracy will never prevail over the tireless commitment of public servants simply doing their jobs."

Police statement on David Amess

The Jo Cox Foundation, established in 2016 after the murder of MP Jo Cox, shared that it was "horrified" by the news.

"My thoughts and love are with David’s family," her widower Brendan Cox wrote on Twitter.

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"They are all that matter now.

"This brings everything back. The pain, the loss, but also how much love the public gave us following the loss of Jo.

"I hope we can do the same for David now."