Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Labour Party, I express my sincerest condolences to the Amess family and to all of Sir David's colleagues. When I heard this chilling news last Friday, my immediate thought was that it could have been any of us. At the same time David was attacked last Friday, most of us were doing the very same thing he was, that is, representing and serving our constituents at our regular Friday clinics. The killing of David Amess reminds us all of the brutal murder of our UK Labour Party colleague, Jo Cox, just five short years ago.

David Amess should not have died like this in the course of his work as a public representative. No public representative or public servant should ever have to die like this. The genesis of the kind of hate that led to this brutal killing needs to be reflected on by all of us. This country is not immune. Our national Parliament, by which I mean these Houses, has a role in dialling down division. How we behave in here and online is watched. The good example of being able to debate ferociously but disagree respectfully needs to be shown more here. Too often, our standards fall short.

May David Amess rest in peace.

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