A LEADING East Lancashire Conservative politician has expressed his shock and sadness at the murder of his friend Sir David Amess MP.

The veteran Southend West backbencher died after being stabbed several times at his constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea.

Cllr Peter Britcliffe, who represents Oswaldtwistle on Lancashire County Council and St Andrew's ward on Hyndburn Council, was a personal friend of Sir David,

His daughter Sara is MP for Hyndburn.

He said: "I am horrified, shocked and saddened. Sir David was a personal friend.

"I got to know him when I used to go to Westminster to work for former Hyndburn MP Ken Hargreaves.

"They were good friends.

"There was not a kinder man on earth than Sir David. He has kept a fatherly eye on Sara, who is also deeply shocked, since she was elected.

"The last time I saw him was just before lockdown when I went to visit my daughter and we had tea and biscuits in his Parliamentary office.

"As the father of an MP I find this very worrying. We had the killing of Jo Cox in 2016, the stabbing of Stephen Timms in 2010 and the fatal stabbing of Andy Pennington, assistant to Nigel Jones MP, in 2000.

"It seems that being an MP has become a dangerous business. The families of all MPs must be very worried by this.

"Sir David used to visit Hyndburn regularly when Ken was an MP from 1983 to 1992, came to his funeral and used to come and visit his grave in the borough.

"We was a good friend to Hyndburn."