A terrorist “bottled” attacks on other MPs before killing Sir David Amess because he was the “easiest” target, a court has heard.

Ali Harbi Ali stabbed the veteran Conservative MP 21 times after attending an appointment at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on Oct 15 last year.

The Old Bailey was shown footage of his police interview following the attack, in which he described how “easy” it was to meet Sir David and that he chose to target an MP because they were “accessible”.

The 26-year-old said in the footage: “I sent emails to, I think, his assistant, Rebecca Hayton, saying that I live in, I think, Westcliff-on-Sea and she arranged an interview for me. That’s how easy it was to, sort of, get to him.”

He described how he had considered going to the Houses of Parliament, but the police there were “armed to the teeth”.

The terrorist also had plans to attack Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, and Mike Freer, the Tory MP for Finchley and Golders Green.