Johnson pays tribute to 'one of the most gentle people' after Tory MP stabbed to death

The 69-year-old victim, who has been an MP since 1983, was fatally injured at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex midday on Friday

A man lays flowers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Conservative MP David Amess has died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire

Conservative MP David Amess who has died after being stabbed at a meeting in his Essex constituency was one of the “kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics”, Boris Johnson has said.

The suspect, a 25-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the Tory veteran was stabbed several times during a constituency surgery in Essex.