London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Galloway: I’m devastated by the killing of David Amess – I always felt it could happen to me. Politicians have no protection

Galloway: I’m devastated by the killing of David Amess – I always felt it could happen to me. Politicians have no protection

The appalling stabbing of Sir David Amess is the latest in a series of attacks on British politicians, including myself. How many tragedies must we witness before their security and safety are taken seriously?
Alas poor David Amess, I knew him well. As a parliamentary colleague for almost 30 years, as a Christian activist on issues such as abortion and euthanasia and, of course, on Brexit where he was literally indefatigable.

Stabbed to death at his constituency surgery on Friday, he leaves a widow and five children who were his pride and joy.

Sir David was 69 and served the best part of 40 years in parliament. The man arrested at the scene as his alleged attacker is a 25-year-old of Somali origin.

The killing comes five years after the murder of Jo Cox MP, a young mother of two children, in Birstall, West Yorkshire, just before she was due to hold a constituency surgery.

Surgeries have become a death trap for British MPs. With no security, they are an open door to potential assailants and even murderers.

They are widely publicised – Sir David tweeted his whereabouts and availability just hours before he was killed.

Several others have been attacked in their constituency surgeries. In 2010, Stephen Timms, a minister in Tony Blair’s government, was stabbed multiple times in Newham, East London, but survived.

And the constituency manager of a close colleague of mine was stabbed to death at Liberal Democrat headquarters in Cheltenham with a Samurai sword whilst defending the MP Nigel Jones.

No lessons were learned from any of these tragedies. No security. No metal detectors. We have remained in the days of the amateur.

I sat every weekend in such surgeries for almost 30 years. In attendance were some disturbed people. Angry people, including people who were angry with me.

I always felt that such a thing as happened to Sir David could happen to me, or something like it.

And something like it did happen in 2014, in broad daylight in the street in London, when I was assaulted and hospitalised in a politically motivated attack. If my attacker had been carrying a knife, I too would have been dead. Indeed, earlier that day on Facebook he wrote that he would like to stab me to death.

Nobody in authority took that assault seriously at all, including the then Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow.

All the precautions and protections I demanded were refused. Two years later Jo Cox was killed. So, five years after that, has been Sir David Amess M. RIP.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
×