Conservative MP David Johnston says the culture of politics needs to improve in light of the killing of Southend West MP Sir David Amess.

Sir David Amess was attacked at a church while meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

Just five years ago, the Labour MP Jo Cox was killed after being stabbed and shot before a constituency surgery was due to take place.

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MP for Wantage David Johnston said: "Being an MP is a great privilege, but you shouldn’t be at risk of losing your life doing it.

"Sir David Amess was one of our kindest, most big-hearted colleagues who was, as ever, simply trying to help his constituents at the time he was attacked."

Mr Johnston said he has no regrets about his decision to enter politics even though many of his friends 'would not touch politics with a barge poll'.

The MP said: "The culture of politics does have to improve. That is partly the responsibility of politicians, but it is also the responsibility of everyone who interacts with them. Quite apart from explicit threats, too often people will say things from behind a screen that they would never say to someone’s face. And social media companies have got much more to do to improve the way they deal with all sorts of harmful material, including abuse."

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