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The terror suspect arrested following the killing of Conservative MP Sir David Amess is the son of a former senior Somali government official, Sky News understands.

Ali Harbi Ali’s father, Harbi Ali Kullane, declined to comment when asked by Sky News about his son, a 25-year-old British national, in an exchange of written messages on Saturday other than to say that he was “traumatised”

A Sky News correspondent who knocked at an address in London where he is believed to be staying received no reply on Sunday morning.

Sir David Amess killing – live updates

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Sir David Amess: A life in politics

However, two police officers then arrived at the property and were let inside.

The father was quoted in The Sunday Times as confirming that his son was in custody and saying: “I’m not OK. I’m traumatised… This is nothing to do with my work for the Somali government.”

Mr Kullane previously worked as director of communications at the office of the prime minister in Somalia.

More on Sir David Amess

But he is thought to have been living in the UK for the past three years.

He has an active profile on social media, with his Twitter feed showing a keen interest in the UK, including posts on Liverpool Football Club, the Grenfell Tower tragedy and Brexit.

The father also posted messages of sympathy in June 2016 following the murder of Labour MP, Jo Cox, writing: “#RIPJoCox devastated by the loss of a voice of the unrepresentative, my sympathies with her two children and family.”

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Priti Patel: ‘We need to close any security gaps’

He appeared to have good relations with the British embassy in Somalia.

A number of his tweets included photographs with British diplomats in Mogadishu.

Ali Harbi Ali was arrested on Friday at the scene of the attack at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Sir David, MP for Southend West, had been holding his weekly constituency surgery.

He was previously referred to the government’s Prevent scheme, which is a programme to stop radicalisation, a Whitehall source said.

However, he is not thought to have been on the radar of the security service, MI5.

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Leaders unite to pay tribute to Sir David

He was initially arrested on suspicion on murder and has since been detained under terrorism legislation.

Scotland Yard said the suspect who has not been officially named, has been transferred from a police station in Essex to one in London for further questioning.

Detectives have been granted a warrant to further detain him until next Friday.

Investigators have said they are not seeking anyone else in connection with Sir David’s death, which has sparked a debate about MPs’ safety and if more should be done to protect them.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has told Sky News that MPs could be given police protection while they carry out constituency surgeries.

Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sunday, the cabinet minister also did not did not rule out banning anonymity on social media in a bid to tackle “relentless” online abuse.

A statement of condolence signed by many Somali organisations and community leaders have said they were “shocked and saddened by the senseless violence perpetrated upon an innocent MP”.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were among those to express “shock and sadness” following Sir David’s death.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer attended the scene of the killing together on Saturday to pay their respects.

The father of five had been an MP for 38 years, and while he never held a ministerial role, he was known as a tireless constituency campaigner, including his long-standing bid to have Southend designated a city.

Sky News understands that Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party will not stand candidates to contest the Southend West by-election.

It follows the precedent set after the murder of Mrs Cox in 2016, when Labour’s Tracy Brabin was the only mainstream candidate.

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Most RWAs remain isolated and underutilized instead of composable, DeFi-ready building blocks. It’s time to change that.

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Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget

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Heidi Alexander says 'fairness' will be government's 'guiding principle' when it comes to taxes at next budget

Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.

Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.

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Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.

Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.

“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”

Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.

“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”

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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”

He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.

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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France

Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.

Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.

Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.

With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.

The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.

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