Speaker praises public for crowning Sir David Amess’s pooch ‘Westminster Dog of the Year’

The three-year-old French Bulldog was the runaway winner in the annual competition which pits the four-legged friends of 10 MPs against each other.

Sir David had entered the family pet into the contest months before he was killed while holding a constituency surgery on 15 October.

Sir Lindsay, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: "Everyone knew how much David loved animals, so he would have been so chuffed to see his dog claim the crown.

"I am not surprised that Vivienne stole the hearts of the public and ensured she was the winner with 65 per cent of the public vote."

Sir David’s close friends MPs Mark Francois and Andrew Rosindell accompanied Vivienne to the competition, and ensured she wore a bandana to mark the posthumous success of his campaign to make Southend a city.

Mr Francois said: "As our tributes in the Commons showed, David was a well-loved person, so he would have been delighted that his pet won Westminster Dog of the Year.

"In fact, when people asked him why they should vote for Vivienne, he used to tell them: “It’s because Vivienne wants Southend to become a city.”'

The competition, organised by The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust, saw Stanley, a Border Terrier owned by Edward Timpson MP for Eddisbury, take second place, with a place in the (trophy) cabinet awarded to Henry, a Labrador owned by Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon in third.