Latest news with #DavidAmess
Channel 4
5 days ago
- Politics
- Channel 4
Government is ‘picking and choosing' who it helps
In 2021, an Islamic State supporter murdered the MP Sir David Amess at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in 2021. Ali Harbi Ali's teachers had flagged to police that he was potentially dangerous, and the Prevent counter-terrorism scheme sent a mentor to meet the teenager seven years earlier. But the mentor only had one meeting with him and his case was closed. A review into Prevent this week found it could have missed chances to turn Harbi Ali away from terrorism. We spoke to Sir David Amess's daughter, Katie Amess.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Daughter of murdered MP criticises Prevent report and reiterates inquiry calls
The daughter of murdered MP Sir David Amess has reiterated her calls for a public inquiry as she criticised a report into Prevent's contact with her father's killer, saying the review 'tells us there were failures but does not say why'. Katie Amess told the PA news agency the 'vast majority of our questions about Prevent's failures remain unanswered' and that an inquiry was the only way to ensure 'real accountability'. The report compiled by Independent Prevent Commissioner David Anderson KC said 'intensive' efforts have been made to improve processes within Prevent, but the 'jury is out' on some of the changes. It also said Sir David's killer, Ali Harbi Ali, was described as a 'great person' by a counter-terrorism case officer shortly before his case was dropped by Prevent. Ali was referred to the counter-extremism scheme seven years before the so-called Islamic State fanatic stabbed the veteran MP at his constituency surgery in Essex in October 2021. He was sentenced to a whole-life order the following year. Following the report's publication, Ms Amess told PA: 'Having been ambushed by the Home Secretary and given no time at all to have advance sight of Lord Anderson's report, I have now had the opportunity to read it, digest it, and take advice from my team on what it says and what the implications are. 'There is now no doubt whatsoever, following Lord Anderson's work, that there must be a full public inquiry into why the string of failures that led to my dad's murder were allowed to happen, who was responsible, who is going to be held to account, and what is going to be done to ensure there is no repeat. 'We were told after my dad's death that lessons had been, and would be, learned by Prevent. And then, heartbreakingly, Southport happened three years later. 'The two cases are virtually identical. No lessons were ever learned.' Ms Amess said the report 'tells us there were failures but does not say why' as she criticised the way his family had been treated by the Government. She said: 'When we met with the Prime Minister and Home Secretary in March to repeat our call for a public inquiry into my father's murder, they asked my mother and me to go away and work with Lord Anderson to see if he could answer the dozens of questions we still have about why the killer slipped through the state's safeguarding nets. 'Against our better judgment, we did just that and have been patiently waiting for his report to be published, enduring several more months of needless stress and anxiety for our family. 'It feels to us that they are treating us, but more importantly, my dad, who served this country selflessly for 40 years, like dirt on the bottom of their shoes. 'They claimed to be his friends. They attended his funeral. That is not how friends behave. 'As we can all now see, that was a waste of time. This was not a review into why my dad was allowed to be murdered at all. It tells us there were failures but does not say why.' Ms Amess continued: 'My family and I remain deeply committed to understanding how the Prevent programme failed to stop the individual who took my father's life. 'We are determined to ensure that no other family has to endure such a loss due to systemic failings. 'Despite Lord Anderson's review, the vast majority of our questions about Prevent's failures remain unanswered. 'We still do not know why basic checks like social media monitoring or verifying school attendance were not carried out before the perpetrator was released from the programme. He was meant to have seven sessions. He had one, over a cup of coffee at McDonald's, and was then released. 'That is simply not good enough, yet Anderson skates over it as if it did not lead to the catastrophic consequences that followed for my family and our country.' Ms Amess called on the Home Secretary and Prime Minister to 'do the right thing and order the inquiry', saying it would ensure 'real accountability'. She told PA: 'A statutory public inquiry is the only way to compel witnesses to testify and documents to be disclosed. 'When we met with Chris Philp, he told us that if he becomes home secretary in any future government, he will order the inquiry. He knows it is necessary. 'On behalf of my family, I now call on the current Home Secretary and Prime Minister to do the right thing and order the inquiry, just as they rightly did for Southport. 'They told my mother and me that we could come back to them if we were not happy with Anderson. Well, we aren't, and I will be asking my team to write to them to request that further meeting they promised us. 'A public inquiry would honour my father's legacy by ensuring real accountability and preventing future tragedies.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Daughter of murdered MP criticises Prevent report and reiterates inquiry calls
The daughter of murdered MP Sir David Amess has reiterated her calls for a public inquiry as she criticised a report into Prevent's contact with her father's killer, saying the review 'tells us there were failures but does not say why'. Katie Amess told the PA news agency the 'vast majority of our questions about Prevent's failures remain unanswered' and that an inquiry was the only way to ensure 'real accountability'. The report compiled by Independent Prevent Commissioner David Anderson KC said 'intensive' efforts have been made to improve processes within Prevent, but the 'jury is out' on some of the changes. It also said Sir David's killer, Ali Harbi Ali, was described as a 'great person' by a counter-terrorism case officer shortly before his case was dropped by Prevent. Ali was referred to the counter-extremism scheme seven years before the so-called Islamic State fanatic stabbed the veteran MP at his constituency surgery in Essex in October 2021. He was sentenced to a whole-life order the following year. Following the report's publication, Ms Amess told PA: 'Having been ambushed by the Home Secretary and given no time at all to have advance sight of Lord Anderson's report, I have now had the opportunity to read it, digest it, and take advice from my team on what it says and what the implications are. 'There is now no doubt whatsoever, following Lord Anderson's work, that there must be a full public inquiry into why the string of failures that led to my dad's murder were allowed to happen, who was responsible, who is going to be held to account, and what is going to be done to ensure there is no repeat. 'We were told after my dad's death that lessons had been, and would be, learned by Prevent. And then, heartbreakingly, Southport happened three years later. 'The two cases are virtually identical. No lessons were ever learned.' Ms Amess said the report 'tells us there were failures but does not say why' as she criticised the way his family had been treated by the Government. She said: 'When we met with the Prime Minister and Home Secretary in March to repeat our call for a public inquiry into my father's murder, they asked my mother and me to go away and work with Lord Anderson to see if he could answer the dozens of questions we still have about why the killer slipped through the state's safeguarding nets. 'Against our better judgment, we did just that and have been patiently waiting for his report to be published, enduring several more months of needless stress and anxiety for our family. 'It feels to us that they are treating us, but more importantly, my dad, who served this country selflessly for 40 years, like dirt on the bottom of their shoes. 'They claimed to be his friends. They attended his funeral. That is not how friends behave. 'As we can all now see, that was a waste of time. This was not a review into why my dad was allowed to be murdered at all. It tells us there were failures but does not say why.' Ms Amess continued: 'My family and I remain deeply committed to understanding how the Prevent programme failed to stop the individual who took my father's life. 'We are determined to ensure that no other family has to endure such a loss due to systemic failings. 'Despite Lord Anderson's review, the vast majority of our questions about Prevent's failures remain unanswered. 'We still do not know why basic checks like social media monitoring or verifying school attendance were not carried out before the perpetrator was released from the programme. He was meant to have seven sessions. He had one, over a cup of coffee at McDonald's, and was then released. 'That is simply not good enough, yet Anderson skates over it as if it did not lead to the catastrophic consequences that followed for my family and our country.' Ms Amess called on the Home Secretary and Prime Minister to 'do the right thing and order the inquiry', saying it would ensure 'real accountability'. She told PA: 'A statutory public inquiry is the only way to compel witnesses to testify and documents to be disclosed. 'When we met with Chris Philp, he told us that if he becomes home secretary in any future government, he will order the inquiry. He knows it is necessary. 'On behalf of my family, I now call on the current Home Secretary and Prime Minister to do the right thing and order the inquiry, just as they rightly did for Southport. 'They told my mother and me that we could come back to them if we were not happy with Anderson. Well, we aren't, and I will be asking my team to write to them to request that further meeting they promised us. 'A public inquiry would honour my father's legacy by ensuring real accountability and preventing future tragedies.' The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Murdered MP's daughter criticises Prevent report and reiterates inquiry calls
The daughter of murdered MP Sir David Amess has reiterated her calls for a public inquiry as she criticised a report into Prevent's contact with her father's killer, saying the review 'tells us there were failures but does not say why'. Katie Amess told the PA news agency the 'vast majority of our questions about Prevent's failures remain unanswered' and that an inquiry was the only way to ensure 'real accountability'. The report compiled by Independent Prevent Commissioner David Anderson KC said 'intensive' efforts have been made to improve processes within Prevent, but the 'jury is out' on some of the changes. It also said Sir David's killer, Ali Harbi Ali, was described as a 'great person' by a counter-terrorism case officer shortly before his case was dropped by Prevent. Ali was referred to the counter-extremism scheme seven years before the so-called Islamic State fanatic stabbed the veteran MP at his constituency surgery in Essex in October 2021. He was sentenced to a whole-life order the following year. Following the report's publication, Ms Amess told PA: 'Having been ambushed by the Home Secretary and given no time at all to have advance sight of Lord Anderson's report, I have now had the opportunity to read it, digest it, and take advice from my team on what it says and what the implications are. 'There is now no doubt whatsoever, following Lord Anderson's work, that there must be a full public inquiry into why the string of failures that led to my dad's murder were allowed to happen, who was responsible, who is going to be held to account, and what is going to be done to ensure there is no repeat. 'We were told after my dad's death that lessons had been, and would be, learned by Prevent. And then, heartbreakingly, Southport happened three years later. 'The two cases are virtually identical. No lessons were ever learned.' Ms Amess said the report 'tells us there were failures but does not say why' as she criticised the way his family had been treated by the Government. She said: 'When we met with the Prime Minister and Home Secretary in March to repeat our call for a public inquiry into my father's murder, they asked my mother and me to go away and work with Lord Anderson to see if he could answer the dozens of questions we still have about why the killer slipped through the state's safeguarding nets. 'Against our better judgment, we did just that and have been patiently waiting for his report to be published, enduring several more months of needless stress and anxiety for our family. 'It feels to us that they are treating us, but more importantly, my dad, who served this country selflessly for 40 years, like dirt on the bottom of their shoes. 'They claimed to be his friends. They attended his funeral. That is not how friends behave. 'As we can all now see, that was a waste of time. This was not a review into why my dad was allowed to be murdered at all. It tells us there were failures but does not say why.' Ms Amess continued: 'My family and I remain deeply committed to understanding how the Prevent programme failed to stop the individual who took my father's life. 'We are determined to ensure that no other family has to endure such a loss due to systemic failings. 'Despite Lord Anderson's review, the vast majority of our questions about Prevent's failures remain unanswered. 'We still do not know why basic checks like social media monitoring or verifying school attendance were not carried out before the perpetrator was released from the programme. He was meant to have seven sessions. He had one, over a cup of coffee at McDonald's, and was then released. 'That is simply not good enough, yet Anderson skates over it as if it did not lead to the catastrophic consequences that followed for my family and our country.' Ms Amess called on the Home Secretary and Prime Minister to 'do the right thing and order the inquiry', saying it would ensure 'real accountability'. She told PA: 'A statutory public inquiry is the only way to compel witnesses to testify and documents to be disclosed. 'When we met with Chris Philp, he told us that if he becomes home secretary in any future government, he will order the inquiry. He knows it is necessary. 'On behalf of my family, I now call on the current Home Secretary and Prime Minister to do the right thing and order the inquiry, just as they rightly did for Southport. 'They told my mother and me that we could come back to them if we were not happy with Anderson. Well, we aren't, and I will be asking my team to write to them to request that further meeting they promised us. 'A public inquiry would honour my father's legacy by ensuring real accountability and preventing future tragedies.'
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Southport murderer of Tory MP Sir David Amess was described as a 'great person' by police counter-terrorism official during botched risk assessment before killing
The murderer of Tory MP Sir David Amess was described as a 'great person' by a police counter-terrorism official during a botched risk assessment before the killing. An officer from the government's flagship anti-extremist programme, Prevent, made the extraordinary comment in an e-mail to a colleague, an official review revealed yesterday. Prevent's work with Ali Harbi Ali was later dropped. The revelation came as the Amess family accused Home Secretary Yvette Cooper of leaving them 'retraumatised' in the wake of the new review by leading barrister Lord Anderson. Ali was referred to Prevent seven years before the Islamic State fanatic stabbed the veteran Conservative more than 20 times at a constituency surgery in Essex. Lord Anderson's report described how a Prevent 'intervention provider' met Ali, then a sixth former, only once after his school raised concerns he was being radicalised. Following the meeting at a McDonalds in Croydon in January 2015 the intervention provider described Ali as a 'pleasant and informed young man' in a report. They added that Ali 'does not agree' with extremists including Islamic state and al-Qaeda, and 'has no grievances against the west or other faiths or groups'. An unnamed Prevent counter-terrorism case officer – a Scotland Yard civilian police worker - then emailed their colleague: 'He seems to be a great person, are you still all right to do a lesson at his school, do you think it is worth it?' Lord Anderson's report went on: 'Ultimately, the intervention provider accepted what they described as a decision taken by others that no further meetings were required.' The 156-page report also said a document describing the intervention provider's contact with Ali was 'overlooked' by the Home Office. It had been sent to civil servants in 2021 but was not provided to a previous review of the case, and has only now come to light. It was disclosed to Lord Anderson only on June 25. 'I told the Home Office that I considered this a significant matter, and asked that checks be made to ensure that no further sources of relevant evidence had been disregarded,' yesterday's report said. 'The Home Office responded with an assurance that it has conducted a thorough search and that no additional information has been detected.' The report also described how a Metropolitan Police detective inspector on the Prevent team asked for a check of Ali's social media in 2015, but 'there is no evidence that this was ever performed'. The developments will deepen concerns over the beleaguered Prevent scheme and the Government's attempts to improve the response to extremism. The Amess family described a letter sent to them by the Home Secretary shortly before the report's publication yesterday as a 'calculated exercise in damage limitation'. Ms Cooper's letter to the Amess family said: 'I realise the seriousness of these failings and it reflects the deep concerns you have long held about what went wrong. 'Lord Anderson acknowledges improvements made to Prevent since then but also identifies further important opportunities for change in the wider Prevent system.' She insisted the leading barrister's review had been 'incisive' and 'thorough and considered'. But Amess family spokesman Radd Seiger described the letter as 'an insult' and accused ministers of pursuing 'piecemeal' reform of Prevent. Relatives had been given 'next to no notice' of Lord Anderson's report and were not given advance sight of the document, he added. 'They are deeply hurt and angered, by the utterly dismissive tone as well as the timing of the Home Secretary's letter,' Mr Seiger said. 'It is difficult to see it as anything other than a calculated exercise in damage limitation, designed not to support the family in their search for answers but to protect the Government following its failings. 'This supposed act of courtesy has left the family retraumatised, blindsided, and feeling marginalised in a process that should have had their voices and wellbeing at its heart from the outset.' Lord Anderson's report also studied Prevent's response to concerns raised about Southport knifeman Axel Rudakubana. Prevent failed to put the teenager on a deradicalisation scheme before he killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, and injured 10 others, last summer. Lord Anderson concluded: 'Prevent failed in both cases'. In one of 10 recommendations to ministers, the KC said the scheme should 'up its game' in dealing with online radicalisation. He added 'the jury is still out' on whether a series of recent changes will improve Prevent's operation. The review said Prevent should continue to address individuals who are obsessed with violence but do not fall into a clear terrorist category. The recommendation reflects how the threat posed by Rudakubana was partly ignored by police and officials because of the 'absence of a distinct ideology'. Lord Anderson also said Prevent should be far more 'transparent' about its activities. The Home Secretary told MPs she would 'act immediately' on the findings of the review. Chris Walker, who represents the three Southport bereaved families, said the report showed 'opportunities to intervene were then lost', adding: 'Real change needs to come in order to prevent other families going through what my clients face.' A separate inquiry into the Southport killings resumed in the autumn. Dr Paul Stott, head of security and extremism at think-tank Policy Exchange, said: 'A problem with Prevent has been its lack of focus on the core threat of Islamism, which outstrips all other terrorist threats. 'It is not clear the system can or should cope with adding lots of additional challenges, be it violence fascination or issues around mental health. 'It is reasonable for the government to examine the possibility of connecting Prevent to a broader safeguarding and violence prevention system, but separating the two - with Prevent focused on existing ideological threats and another intervention mopping up mental health and violence fascination - would be more sensible.'
