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London. — A long-serving British lawmaker from the Conservative Party died after being stabbed multiple times in an attack yesterday while meeting with constituents in a church building in his home district.

Police said a 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and a knife was recovered. No motive was offered.

David Amess (69), who represented Southend West in Essex, was meeting with locals about an hour’s drive east of London when he was killed. Amess received treatment at the scene of the assault but died there, police said.

Fellow politicians decried the murder of Amess as horrific. Amess is the second British lawmaker since 2016 to be killed while out meeting constituents, raising calls that parliamentarians might need more security.

On social media, many wondered whether a more partisan England is more prone to this kind of violence. Other lawmakers have been physically attacked and many screamed at and harassed while entering or exiting Westminster Palace.

“This is an incident that will send shock waves across the parliamentary community and the whole country,” said Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the Parliament.

“In the coming days, we will need to discuss and examine MPs’ security and any measures to be taken.”

Lawmakers mixing with locals is a cherished tradition here, and British politicians are often seen at charity functions, school plays, local sporting events and the pub. But there’s been a long-running debate over how much security they should be offered when out and about.

The Daily Mail tabloid reported: “One woman ran out of the church in the chaos yelling down the phone after dialling 999, telling the call handler: ‘Someone’s been stabbed, please get here soon, he’s not breathing.’ “

Amess was a long-serving member of Parliament, a married father of five. He was a royalist, a vocal supporter of Brexit, which saw Britain leave the European Union. — The Washington Post.