City Via Assassination

Southend on sea, a seaside town in Essex England was promoted to a city because of an assassination; let me explain. 

The local politician for the area, David Amess campaigned for many years to change the status of Southend on sea from a town to a city. On 15 of October 2021 he was assassinated by a Islamist terrorist because he voted for air strikes against Isis. 

Out of pity for his death, the Leadership cabinet, MP Boris Johnson and the Queen of England agreed to change the status of Southend on Sea to a city even though the population was less than half a million. 

A year later the Queen's Son, prince Charles (now King Charles the 3rd) went to Southend to declare Southend on sea a city. The status of the city changing hinged on his death. If he didn't die, they wouldn't carry out his wishes, there were places with a bigger population like Reading that still remained with a town to this day.