The Conservative winner of the Southend West by-election, triggered by the killing of veteran MP Sir David Amess, has paid tribute to her late predecessor as a "truly exceptional MP" as she vowed to build on his legacy.

Anna Firth also acknowledged the "inspiring" move by other mainstream political parties not to contest the seat as a mark of respect for "a great man and a great parliamentarian". Report by Buseld. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn