A 25-year-old man arrested after the attack on Sir David Amess MP last Friday has been charged with murder by police.

Sir David, a devout Catholic, died after being stabbed multiple times during a constituency surgery at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea last Friday.

Ali Harbi Ali, a British man, was arrested at the scene. He has since been charged with the Conservative MP's murder and the preparation of terrorist acts.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday where he spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

After the hearing, he was remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on Friday.

Nick Price, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "We will submit to the court that this murder has a terrorist connection, namely that it had both religious and ideological motivations."

Responding to the news, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "I hope that the family of David Amess and all those who love him will get the justice they deserve as fast as possible."

Sir David had been an MP since 1983 and Conservative MP for Southend West since 1997 before his shocking murder. 

His death prompted a review of MPs' security and sparked an outpouring of grief among parliamentary colleagues, Church leaders and pro-life campaigners.

At a memorial service earlier this week, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby praised Sir David's "exceptional character" and said he possessed "a charity of heart that came from his deep Catholic Christian faith".

The Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said Sir David had served in public life "with generosity and integrity" and called his death "a great loss".

"This death throws a sharp light onto the fact that our Members of Parliament are servants of the people, available to people in their need, especially in their constituencies," he said.

"This horrific attack, as David was undertaking his constituency surgery, is an attack on our democratic process and traditions."