Sir David Amess was stabbed to death on Friday at the age of 69.
The Conservative MP was meeting with local residents for a constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea when the attacker approached him with a knife and stabbed him multiple times.
Amess was a long-serving backbencher, having first been elected to the House of Commons in 1983 to represent Basildon before later becoming an MP for Essex’s Southend West in 1997.
A highly respected figure in the Conservative Party, he never held a ministerial or shadow ministerial role and was known for focusing on animal rights.
Tributes for the late MP have been streaming in as those across the political spectrum, praising Amess and his memory.
Boris Johnson said he was one of the “kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics”.
The prime minister said Amess had been killed after “almost 40 years of continuous service to the people of Essex and the whole of the United Kingdom”.
He added: “The reason people are so shocked and sad is above all he was one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics.
“He also had an outstanding record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable.”
Health secretary Said Javid described Amess as “a great man, a great friend, and a great MP killed while fulfilling his democratic role”.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the murder was “heartbreakingly sad” and “just terrible, terrible news”.
Carrie Johnson, the prime minister’s wife, former prime minister David Cameron, and current political leaders including Labour’s leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon have expressed their condolences online as well.
SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford tweeted: “Sir David was a thoroughly decent man, who was well liked across parties and the House of Commons.”
Brendan Cox, the husband of Labour MP Jo Cox who was stabbed to death in 2016, also shared extended his sympathies on Twitter.