On 7 October, my Parliamentary colleague James Brokenshire passed away following a battle with lung cancer
A little over a week later we heard of the vicious murder of another well-liked and respected colleague – Sir David Amess.
Although we knew that James had lung cancer and was due to undergo further surgery, it was still a surprise to hear that someone so young (53), and who had never smoked, had succumbed to the disease.
As I write this, I am still reeling from the shock of the tragic and senseless killing of Sir David Amess.
I’m saddened by the loss of friends and colleagues but The House of Commons – and politics in general – is also poorer for the loss of these great Parliamentarians
Sir David was also a close friend of the previous Conservative MP who held my Banff and Buchan seat, Sir Albert McQuarrie.
I’ll never forget when I first met Sir David in 2017 when I was first elected.
He actively sought me out and offered his friendship and assistance to me as the new MP in his friend’s old seat.
David kept in touch with Albert until his own passing in 2016 – almost 30 years after leaving Parliament.
And when Albert’s widow, Rhoda, passed in 2019, I had the sad task of telling Sir David the news.
Everyone who knew and worked with Sir David in his 38-year Parliamentary career has commented on his kindness, generosity and integrity.
A little over 5 years ago, we were all equally shocked at the gruesome attack on someone just going about their business as a Member of Parliament – Jo Cox
I never knew Jo but, by all accounts, she was every bit as principled and dedicated to her constituents as Sir David.
Jo is famously and repeatedly quoted as saying, “We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”
This is something I have come to appreciate in my time as a Member of Parliament.
It is a genuine honour and a privilege to be selected to represent a community as your MP – a feeling I believe is shared by all MPs of all parties.
All MPs of whichever political party spend the bulk of our time engaging with and assisting those constituents that need our help.
We have office staff of course, without whom the sheer volume of casework would be impossible to manage.
And each case is confidential, so not something you would hear MPs discussing in public, but something every one of us, and our staff, spend most of our time working on.
And Sir David was the quintessential constituency MP.
Which makes it even more tragic that he was killed doing what he loved most – making himself available to his constituents to provide advice and assistance.
There will be many questions asked about the circumstances of Sir David’s death, and on the balance of security of elected officials with making ourselves available and approachable.
I am determined to continue engaging with communities around Banff and Buchan and I remain available for face-to-face surgeries – something I have returned to in recent months having been limited to only virtual engagement through the pandemic. Surgery appointments can be made by contacting my office on david.duguid.mp@parliament.uk or by calling 01261 818744