Conservative MP David Amess who was stabbed to death on Friday. AFP
Conservative MP David Amess who was stabbed to death on Friday. AFP
Conservative MP David Amess who was stabbed to death on Friday. AFP
Conservative MP David Amess who was stabbed to death on Friday. AFP

David Amess: Classic backbench MP who was dedicated to legislation on his causes


Thomas Harding
  • English
  • Arabic

Sir David Amess (1952-2021) was a classic British backbench MP, in the sense that he used his elected post to push through single-issue legislation.

He was also a keen follower of Middle East affairs, supporting opposition to the Iranian regime.

Amess entered parliament in the 1983 general election, when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. He won the Basildon constituency in Essex, south-east England.

The Conservative MP was strong supporter of free market economics and sceptical of the EU, supporting Brexit. He served as Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Qatar and visited there last week.

Amess managed to push through several Private Members Bills, ranging from protecting animals to ensuring the elderly stayed warm in winter.

One of his most far-reaching achievements was the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act (2000), which required the government to implement a strategy for reducing fuel poverty.

The legislation was credited with reducing the number of inadequately heated homes in England from five million to 1.2 million, through changing attitudes and policy on the issue.

Through the Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act (1988) he ensured that horses and mules were not tethered in a manner that caused them unnecessary suffering.

He also voted against fox hunting, which went against traditional Conservative politics.

David Amess is elected as MP for the Southend West constituency in December 2019. Alamy
David Amess is elected as MP for the Southend West constituency in December 2019. Alamy

Another piece of legislation he guided on to the statute book was the Security Printing Materials Bill. This ended a loophole allowing companies supplying specialist printing equipment to counterfeiters to evade prosecution.

He also played an important role into an inquiry on obesity in Britain that found that two-thirds of the population was overweight.

Following a visit to his MP’s surgery by a constituent suffering endometriosis – a condition that inflames the womb and ovaries, affecting one in 10 women – he campaigned to raise public awareness.

Having voted for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he became highly critical of the Labour government when no weapons of mass destruction were found.

He was subsequently among 30 Conservative MPs who voted against the bombing of Syria in 2013, after the regime used chemical weapons against the civilian population.

David Amess was considered a conscientious and hard-working constituency MP. Alamy
David Amess was considered a conscientious and hard-working constituency MP. Alamy

Amess, a Roman Catholic, campaigned to have a statue in London of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in Hungary during the Nazi occupation.

A monument was finally unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.

Liked and respected by all sides in Parliament, Amess, a father of five, was known as a committed family man.

Above all he was considered a conscientious and hard-working constituency MP.

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The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

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Norway

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TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

Updated: October 15, 2021, 10:11 PM