Requiem mass for ‘original Essex cheeky chappy’ MP Sir David Amess before he is laid to rest
A requiem mass will be held at Westminster Cathedral later this morning in memory of Sir David Amess.
The mass will be presided over by Cardinal Vincent Nichols and a message from Pope Francis will be read out.
Sir David, a devout Catholic, will be buried in a private ceremony afterwards.
Pall bearers from Southend’s fire service carried Sir David’s coffin on Monday
It comes a day after the Southend West MP was mourned during a private service at St Mary’s Church in Prittlewell, Essex.
The father of five was stabbed to death while holding a constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea on 15 October.
During 38 years as an MP, Sir David was known as someone who fought for his constituents and for Southend, which he campaigned to be designated as a city – a wish granted after his death.
At Monday’s service, Sir David’s friend and colleague Mark Francois described him as the “original Essex cheeky chappy”.
Mr Francois said in a eulogy: “Our electors employ us to represent them in a contract renewable every few years.
Sir David’s constituents applauded as the horse drawn hearse carrying his coffin went past
“We work for them and not the other way around, and no-one was ever more conscious of that than David Amess.
“Whatever one thinks of members of parliament, and opinions do vary, in my experience MPs of all parties do genuinely try and help other people.
“However, collectively in recent years we have perhaps not always helped ourselves, and I humbly suggest today that we need to learn from that.
“But, boy, did David Amess honour the contract with his employers – and in his own inimitable style.”
He added: “Whatever the weaknesses of parliament, David Amess was the living embodiment of all its strengths.”
Mourners lined the streets as Sir David’s coffin, draped in a Union Flag, was carried by pallbearers from Southend Fire Service.
The coffin was borne on a horse-drawn hearse for a procession through Southend, pausing in front of the civic centre, where hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects, many of them applauding.
The European Union is considering a partial halt to its landmark artificial intelligence laws in response to pressure from the US government and Big Tech companies.
The European Commission plans to ease part of its digital rulebook, including the AI Act that took effect last year, as part of a “simplification package” that is to be decided on Nov. 19, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
If approved, the proposed halt could allow generative AI providers currently operating in the market a one-year compliance grace period and delay enforcement of fines for violations of AI transparency rules until August 2027.
“When it comes to potentially delaying the implementation of targeted parts of the AI Act, a reflection is still ongoing,” the commission’s Thomas Regnier told Cointelegraph, adding that the EC is working on the digital omnibus to present it on Nov. 19.
EU’s AI Act entered into force in August 2024
The commission proposed the first EU AI law in April 2021, with the mission of establishing a risk-based AI classification system.
Passed by the European Parliament and the European Council in 2023, the European AI Act entered into force in August 2024, with provisions expected to be implemented gradually over the next six to 36 months.
According to the FT, a bulk of the provisions for high-risk AI systems, which can pose “serious risks” to health, safety or citizens’ fundamental rights, are set to come into effect in August 2026.
With the draft “simplification” proposal, companies breaching the rules on the highest-risk AI use could reportedly receive a “grace period” of one year.
Related: EU mulls SEC-like oversight for stock, crypto exchanges to bolster startup landscape
The proposal is still subject to informal discussions within the commission and with EU states and could still change ahead of its adoption on Nov. 19, the report noted.
“Various options are being considered, but no formal decision has been taken at this stage,” the EC’s Regnier told Cointelegraph, adding: “The commission will always remain fully behind the AI Act and its objectives.”
“AI is an incredibly disruptive technology, the full implications of which we are still only just beginning to fully appreciate,” Mercuryo co-founder and CEO Petr Kozyakov said, adding:
“Ultimately, Europe’s competitiveness will depend on its ability to set high standards without creating barriers that may risk letting innovation take place elsewhere.”
The EU’s potential suspension of parts of the AI Act underscores Brussels’ evolving approach to digital regulation amid intensifying global competition from the US and China.
After the US explicitly banned central bank digital currency (CBDC) development in early 2025, the European Central Bank accelerated work on the digital euro but later said that digital cash would not launch before 2029.
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