A statue of murdered MP Sir David Amess has been unveiled on Southend seafront in a ceremony attended by his family.

Sir David, who represented the Essex constituency from 1997 onwards, was stabbed to death at the age of 69 while meeting constituents at a church in October 2021.

He had long campaigned to give Southend city status, a goal that was achieved in 2022.

The life-size statue, positioned on a grass bank by Chalkwell Esplanade looking out over the estuary, was unveiled on Thursday.

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Sir David’s widow, Lady Julia Amess, attended along with other members of his family.

Music at the ceremony was provided by two groups which Sir David was a keen supporter of – the Music Man Project, which teaches music to children and adults with learning disabilities, and the Orpheus Choir.

The event, which had a visible police presence, was also attended by Dame Priti Patel, who was home secretary at the time of Sir David’s death.

Former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe also read out a statement on behalf of Sir David’s family.

It said: “David is hugely missed and as a family we are devastated by his loss, but events like today make us feel that he is with us forever and that his light remains.

“I and all my family thank you so much.”

The statue was unveiled by Andrew Rosindell, the Conservative MP for Romford, who described the late Southend West MP as a “true friend”.

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Sir David’s constituency assistant Julie Cushion said the site was where Sir David “used to walk his dogs… on a very regular basis”.

The MP’s successor, Anna Firth, said the statue would be a “permanent and fitting memorial to Southend’s greatest friend, ambassador and founder”.

Ms Firth added that she hoped the statue would be “comforting” and provide a “place of solace” for his family.

It was created by sculptor Andrew Lilley and paid for following a fundraising campaign and a donation from businessman Dr Vijay Patel.

Sir David’s killer, Ali Harbi Ali, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to a whole-life prison term at London’s Old Bailey court in 2022.

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