Katie Amess, daughter of the murdered Conservative MP Sir David Amess, has condemned the Irish rap group Kneecap for “gaslighting” in their response to a video in which one of the group’s members appeared to incite violence against MPs. She has also urged the police to take firm action and suggested it would be “very dangerous” for the group to go ahead with their planned performance at Glastonbury Festival.
The controversy erupted after footage from a November 2023 concert surfaced showing a member of Kneecap allegedly shouting, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” The disturbing clip sparked outrage, particularly from families of MPs affected by political violence.
Ms Amess, speaking to the PA news agency, said watching the footage was “absolutely heartbreaking” and brought back the trauma of her father’s murder. Sir David Amess was stabbed to death while holding a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in 2021. His death shocked the nation and highlighted the increasing danger faced by elected officials.
In her interview, Ms Amess made clear that the apology issued by Kneecap was inadequate. While the band denied inciting violence and claimed the footage had been “deliberately taken out of context”, they did offer an apology to the families of Sir David and Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed in 2016. Yet, Ms Amess was far from satisfied.
“That’s not an apology,” she said. “It’s deflection, it is not taking accountability. It’s making excuses and, frankly, it’s gaslighting. They don’t understand the impact of their words, and it’s clear they’ve been badly advised.”
She added that such rhetoric should not be brushed aside as artistic expression or political commentary, warning that incitement to violence—however veiled or performative—has real-world consequences.
Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are assessing the footage as well as another clip from a 2024 concert in which a band member was heard shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”—two groups designated as terrorist organisations in the UK. Ms Amess insisted this investigation was essential and added that stronger preventative action by the police might have saved her father’s life.
“If the police had followed through on threats made to my dad the night before his murder, he might still be here,” she said. “We mustn’t wait until after a tragedy to take these things seriously. We have to act when we see a clear threat.”
When asked about Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s suggestion that Kneecap be banned from performing, Ms Amess said the group’s future involvement in public events should depend on the outcome of the police inquiry.
“Perhaps Kemi is right,” she said. “But we should let the investigation run its course. If it finds that this is a pattern of behaviour, and they’re not taking accountability, then yes—there must be consequences.”
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Glastonbury organisers are now under mounting pressure from ministers to reconsider Kneecap’s place on the festival’s line-up. The group’s history of provocative lyrics and political statements has previously drawn criticism, but this latest row has pushed the issue into the mainstream spotlight.
Ms Amess warned that allowing the group to perform without scrutiny could send a dangerous message. “For them to get up on stage in front of millions of people—who knows what they’re going to say. It could be very, very dangerous,” she said.
Sir David Amess, a long-standing MP and father of five, was murdered in cold blood by Ali Harbi Ali, who was later convicted and sentenced to a whole-life prison term. Though police have stated that threatening calls received by his son the night before the murder were not connected to the attack, Ms Amess continues to call for a full inquest, insisting there are unanswered questions about the police response.
“We can’t just move on,” she said. “We need accountability—and above all, we need to keep our public servants safe.”
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