UK MPs To Pay Tribute To Slain Colleague In Parliament

London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2021 ) :British lawmakers will on Monday pay tributes in parliament to their fallen colleague David Amess, as counter-terrorism police probed whether a suspect arrested was motivated by Islamist extremism.

Veteran Conservative MP Amess, who was 69, was stabbed to death on Friday as he met voters at a church in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London, in the second such attack on a UK lawmaker in just over five years.

Police are holding a 25-year-old man under the Terrorism Act, which allowed officers over the weekend to extend his detention for questioning until Friday. He has not been charged.

Parliament, which reconvenes after a three-week break, will hold a special afternoon session when lawmakers from across the political spectrum will pay tribute to an MP lauded for his decency and tireless constituency work.

"What really defined him is that, even when he disagreed with people, there was a generosity of spirit," deputy prime minister Dominic Raab told BBC radio.

"We'll miss him and I'll miss him personally," he added, noting Amess -- who was first elected in 1983 -- had always been "very kind and generous with his time and advice".

Lawmakers will hold a minute's silence after Patricia Hillas, the Chaplain of the House of Commons, delivers specially crafted prayers in the chamber at around 2:30 pm (1330 gmt).

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will then lead several hours of tributes, before Speaker Lindsay Hoyle heads a procession of lawmakers to a remembrance service at a church in the grounds of Westminster Abbey.

Amess' family said late Sunday they were "absolutely broken" and "trying to understand why this awful thing has occurred" as they made a plea for tolerance.

"Set aside hatred and work towards togetherness," they said in a statement issued through police.

"Whatever one's race, religious or political beliefs, be tolerant and try to understand."