Boris Johnson paid tribute Friday evening to Sir David Amess, the Conservative MP killed in a stabbing attack earlier in the day.
The Conservative MP for Southend West died after he was stabbed several times inside a church in Leigh, Essex.
The Prime Minister said Sir David was killed in his constituency surgery, 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.”
Sir David Amess MP dies in stabbing - what we know so far
It has been confirmed that a murder investigation has been launched following the stabbing at the Belfairs Methodist Church, in Eastwood Road North.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: "A man has been arrested on suspicion murder after a man was stabbed in Leigh-on-Sea.
"We were called to an address in Eastwood Road North shortly after 12.05pm today (Friday 15 October).
"We attended and found a man injured.
"He was treated by emergency services but, sadly, died at the scene.
"A 25 year-old man was quickly arrested after officers arrived at the scene on suspicion of murder and a knife was recovered.
"He is currently in custody.
"We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.
"We want to thank the public who alerted us to the incident so quickly.
"We need anyone who saw anything or has CCTV, dash cam or doorbell footage to contact us."
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