Yvette Cooper Faces Backlash for Rejecting Public Inquiry into David Amess Murder

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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has been accused of deepening the pain of Sir David Amess’s family after refusing their request for a public inquiry into his tragic killing. Sir David’s daughter, Katie Amess, expressed her heartbreak, saying that Cooper’s decision was “adding salt onto an open wound” and that her family had been misled for months with false hope.  

 

'The Amess family are linking the murder to the murder of those beautiful children in Southport' Radd Seiger is speaking on behalf of the family of Sir David Amess after Yvette Coope rejected a public inquiry into his killing.

'The Amess family are linking the murder to the murder of those beautiful children in Southport'

Radd Seiger is speaking on behalf of the family of Sir David Amess after Yvette Coope rejected a public inquiry into his killing

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In a letter to Sir David’s widow, Lady Julia Amess, and Katie Amess, Cooper stated that it was “hard to see how an inquiry would be able to go beyond” the trial of Ali Harbi Ali, the terrorist who murdered the veteran MP, and the findings of the recent Prevent learning review. However, the response was met with anger and disappointment from the Amess family, who believe that the government has failed to provide them with the answers they deserve.  

 

 

Lady Amess has now called on Sir Keir Starmer to reconsider the government’s position ahead of a planned meeting with the prime minister and the home secretary. Meanwhile, Katie Amess voiced her frustration, accusing Cooper of misleading them into believing there was hope for an inquiry.  

Ali Harbi Ali, a self-radicalized Islamic State fanatic, was referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism program in 2014, but his case was closed in 2016.

 

'His death was entirely preventable and where do you go from that?' Katie Amess, the daughter of Sir David Amess MP is speaking at a news conference following the Home Secretary's decision to not hold a public inquiry into his death. 

'His death was entirely preventable and where do you go from that?'

Katie Amess, the daughter of Sir David Amess MP is speaking at a news conference following the Home Secretary's decision to not hold a public inquiry into his death. https://t.co/7L2PGrGslk

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He went on to fatally stab Sir David during a constituency surgery in Essex on October 15, 2021. The crime, which shocked the nation, resulted in Ali receiving a whole-life sentence in 2022.  

 

Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, an emotional Katie Amess described her father as more than just a public servant, calling him her “protector, guide, greatest champion, and above all, my friend.” She said the impact of his murder had left an “unimaginable void” in her family’s life and that they had not been given the space to grieve properly.  

 

“There are no words to describe the unbelievable pain of losing a father in such a brutal and senseless way,” she said. “From the moment that I woke up on 15 October 2021, my whole world was shattered beyond repair.”  

 

She also criticized the government’s approach to inquiries, questioning why tragedies in Southport and Nottingham warranted investigations while her father’s case did not. “How can the government justify holding inquiries for other tragic events and yet refuse to investigate the very system that failed my father? Is his life worth less than others?” she asked.  

 

Expressing her anger at Cooper’s response, Amess added: “She has strung us along for months suggesting that she was working on ways to help us. However, all she has done is remove the possibility of us being included in the Southport inquiry; instead offering another useless paper review, conducted by a person of their choice.”  

 

She made it clear that her family is not just seeking answers but accountability. “The authorities and the government let my father down so badly. His death was entirely preventable – and where do you go from that?”  

 

Security Minister Dan Jarvis attempted to reassure the family, saying that the government will continue to review the case and scrutinize past inquiries to ensure justice is served. “In the years since this cowardly attack, there have been several reviews asking how this could have been avoided, and we have seen significant improvements to the Prevent programme as well as stronger protections for MPs,” he said.  

 

However, for the Amess family, this reassurance is not enough. Their fight for a full inquiry continues as they demand the truth about why Sir David’s death was not prevented and what measures must be taken to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.

 

Based on a report by The Independent  2025-03-11