Sir David Amess: MP's funeral to take place at Westminster Cathedral

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An image of Sir David Amess, displayed at the mass said for him on the day of his deathImage source, Getty Images
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A mass was held for Sir David Amess on the day he was killed

The funeral of Tory MP Sir David Amess will be held at Westminster Cathedral next month, it has been confirmed.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales, will preside over the service on 23 November.

The details were confirmed to MPs, peers and staff who attend Catholic services in Parliament.

The Southend West MP was stabbed to death while meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on 15 October.

Ali Harbi Ali, 25, from London, has been charged with Sir David's murder and preparing terrorist acts.

Image source, STEPHEN HUNTLEY
Image caption,

Sir David Amess had long campaigned for his beloved Southend to be made a city - a wish that was posthumously granted

On 18 October MPs attended a memorial service at St Margaret's Church in Westminster to offer tributes to Sir David.

The Catholic MP was married with five children.

At the time of his killing a local priest, Father Jeffrey Woolnough, was prevented from entering Belfairs Methodist Church, to administer the sacrament of the sick, as it was a crime scene.

He said he felt forced to delete his Twitter account after being accused of not doing enough to offer last rites to the dying MP.

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