Sir David’s family have requested that donations are made to the charities that he supported as an alternative to flowers or other tributes. These include The Dog’s Trust, The Music Man Project, Prost8, Endometriosis UK, and the Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Statue.

The man accused of killing Sir David, Ali Harbi Ali, 25, is charged with murder and the preparation of terrorist acts, and will stand trial next year.

Ministers ‘broke down in tears’

Earlier, Boris Johnson revealed how several Cabinet ministers “broke down in tears” when he told told them about the death of Sir David, as he said the parliamentarian would be “much, much missed”.

The Prime Minister was on a Cabinet away day in Bristol when he was told of the stabbing before dashing back to London.

“Everybody was absolutely devastated,” he told the BBC. “We were all sitting around. I then got called out and got given the news.

“I had to go back in to tell Cabinet colleagues, many of whom had known David for decades, and I’m afraid several colleagues broke down in tears because it was just an appalling piece of news.

“I think we were also very shaken by the implications of what had happened, and the fact his life had been tragically ended in the way that it was.

“I’ve spoken to members of his family and they’ve had a very tough time, as you can imagine.”