BORIS JOHNSON AND Keir Starmer will be among the senior politicians attending a Westminster Cathedral service for David Amess, the Conservative MP who was killed serving his constituents.

A message from the Pope will be read as the requiem mass is held in London today following a private funeral held in Southend a day earlier.

Johnson and the Labour leader are both set to pay their respects to the father-of-five after he was stabbed to death while holding a constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea on 15 October.

The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, will preside and Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, will deliver a message from Pope Francis.

People lined the streets to pay their respects to the Southend West MP as mourners attended a private ecumenical service at St Mary’s Church in Prittlewell yesterday.

Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe, a friend of the deceased politician, read a statement on behalf of the Amess family, similar to the one released shortly after his death, asking people to “set aside hatred” and urging tolerance.

The coffin, draped in a union flag, was carried by pallbearers from Southend Fire Service.

After the church service, they carried the coffin to a horse-drawn hearse for a procession around Southend.

Hundreds of people gathered outside Southend’s Civic Centre to pay their respects as the hearse, led by four black horses, paused in front of it.

Uniformed police officers bowed their heads as the hearse arrived and people applauded.

Southend West MP Amess was killed during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex on 15 October.

Ali Harbi Ali, 25, has been charged with his murder and also with preparing acts of terrorism between 1 May 2019 and 28 September this year.

He is due to enter pleas in December.

Following his death, MPs paid tribute to Amess in the Commons and a service was held in his honour at St Margaret’s Church.

Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer were among around 800 politicians in attendance to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury say the “light lit by public service” provided by MPs like David “must never be put out”.