The Prime Minister (Elizabeth Truss)
In the hours since last night’s shocking news, we have witnessed the most heartfelt outpouring of grief at the loss of Her late Majesty the Queen. Crowds have gathered. Flags have been lowered to half-mast. Tributes have been sent from every continent around the world. On the death of her father, King George VI, Winston Churchill said the news had,
“stilled the clatter and traffic of twentieth-century life in many lands”.
Now, 70 years later, in the tumult of the 21st century, life has paused again.
Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. She was the rock on which modern Britain was built. She came to the throne aged just 25, in a country that was emerging from the shadow of war; she bequeaths a modern, dynamic nation that has grown and flourished under her reign. The United Kingdom is the great country it is today because of her. The Commonwealth is the family of nations it is today because of her. She was devoted to the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. She served 15 countries as Head of State, and she loved them all.
Her words of wisdom gave us strength in the most testing times. During the darkest moments of the pandemic, she gave us hope that we would meet again. She knew this generation of Britons would be as strong as any. As we meet today, we remember the pledge she made on her 21st birthday to dedicate her life to service. The whole House will agree: never has such a promise been so completely fulfilled.
Her devotion to duty remains an example to us all. She carried out thousands of engagements, she took a red box every day, she gave her assent to countless pieces of legislation and she was at the heart of our national life for seven decades. As the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she drew on her deep faith. She was the nation’s greatest diplomat. Her visits to post-apartheid South Africa and to the Republic of Ireland showed a unique ability to transcend difference and heal division. In total, she visited well over 100 countries. She met more people than any other monarch in our history.
She gave counsel to Prime Ministers and Ministers across Government. I have personally greatly valued her wise advice. Only last October, I witnessed first hand how she charmed the world’s leading investors at Windsor Castle. She was always so proud of Britain, and always embodied the spirit of our great country. She remained determined to carry out her duties even at the age of 96. It was just three days ago, at Balmoral, that she invited me to form a Government and become her 15th Prime Minister. Again, she generously shared with me her deep experience of government, even in those last days.
Everyone who met her will remember the moment. They will speak of it for the rest of their lives. Even for those who never met her, Her late Majesty’s image is an icon for what Britain stands for as a nation, on our coins, on our stamps, and in portraits around the world. Her legacy will endure through the countless people she met, the global history she witnessed, and the lives that she touched. She was loved and admired by people across the United Kingdom and across the world.
One of the reasons for that affection was her sheer humanity. She reinvited monarchy for the modern age. She was a champion of freedom and democracy around the world. She was dignified but not distant. She was willing to have fun, whether on a mission with 007, or having tea with Paddington Bear. She brought the monarchy into people’s lives and into people’s homes.
During her first televised Christmas message in 1957, she said:
“Today we need a special kind of courage…so that we can show the world that we are not afraid of the future.”
We need that courage now. In an instant yesterday, our lives changed forever. Today, we show the world that we do not fear what lies ahead. We send our deepest sympathy to all members of the royal family. We pay tribute to our late Queen, and we offer loyal service to our new King.
His Majesty King Charles III bears an awesome responsibility that he now carries for all of us. I was grateful to speak to His Majesty last night and offer my condolences. Even as he mourns, his sense of duty and service is clear. He has already made a profound contribution through his work on conservation and education, and his tireless diplomacy. We owe him our loyalty and devotion.
The British people, the Commonwealth and all of us in this House will support him as he takes our country forward to a new era of hope and progress: our new Carolean age. The Crown endures, our nation endures, and in that spirit, I say God save the King. [Hon. Members: “God save the King.”]
Boris Johnson (Uxbridge and South Ruislip) (Con)
I hope the House will not mind if I begin with a personal confession. A few months ago, the BBC came to see me to talk about Her Majesty the Queen. We sat down and the cameras started rolling, and they requested that I should talk about her in the past tense. I am afraid that I simply choked up and could not go on. I am really not easily moved to tears, but I was so overcome with sadness that I had to ask them to go away.
I know that, today, there are countless people in this country and around the world who have experienced the same sudden access of unexpected emotion, and I think millions of us are trying to understand why we are feeling this deep, personal and almost familial sense of loss. Perhaps it is partly that she has always been there: a changeless human reference point in British life; the person who—all the surveys say—appears most often in our dreams; so unvarying in her pole-star radiance that we have perhaps been lulled into thinking that she might be in some way eternal.
But I think our shock is keener today because we are coming to understand, in her death, the full magnitude of what she did for us all. Think what we asked of that 25-year-old woman all those years ago: to be the person so globally trusted that her image should be on every unit of our currency, every postage stamp; the person in whose name all justice is dispensed in this country, every law passed, to whom every Minister of the Crown swears allegiance; and for whom every member of our armed services is pledged, if necessary, to lay down their lives.
Think what we asked of her in that moment: not just to be the living embodiment, in her DNA, of the history, continuity and unity of this country, but to be the figurehead of our entire system—the keystone in the vast arch of the British state, a role that only she could fulfil because, in the brilliant and durable bargain of the constitutional monarchy, only she could be trusted to be above any party political or commercial interest and to incarnate, impartially, the very concept and essence of the nation.
Think what we asked of her, and think what she gave. She showed the world not just how to reign over a people; she showed the world how to give, how to love and how to serve. As we look back at that vast arc of service, its sheer duration is almost impossible to take in. She was the last living person in British public life to have served in uniform in the second world war. She was the first female member of the royal family in a thousand years to serve full time in the armed forces.
That impulse to do her duty carried her right through into her 10th decade to the very moment in Balmoral—as my right hon. Friend said—only three days ago, when she saw off her 14th Prime Minister and welcomed her 15th. I can tell you, in that audience she was as radiant and as knowledgeable and as fascinated by politics as ever I can remember, and as wise in her advice as anyone I know, if not wiser. Over that extraordinary span of public service, with her naturally retentive and inquiring mind, I think—and doubtless many of the 15 would agree—that she became the greatest statesman and diplomat of all.
She knew instinctively how to cheer up the nation, how to lead a celebration. I remember her innocent joy more than 10 years ago, after the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, when I told her that the leader of a friendly middle eastern country seemed actually to believe that she had jumped out of a helicopter in a pink dress and parachuted into the stadium. [Laughter.] I remember her equal pleasure on being told, just a few weeks ago, that she had been a smash hit in her performance with Paddington Bear.
Perhaps more importantly, she knew how to keep us going when times were toughest. In 1940, when this country and this democracy faced the real possibility of extinction, she gave a broadcast, aged only 14, that was intended to reassure the children of Britain. She said then:
“We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well”.
She was right. And she was right again in the darkest days of the covid pandemic when she came on our screens and told us that we would meet again—and we did.
I know I speak for other ex-Prime Ministers when I say that she helped to comfort and guide us as well as the nation. She had the patience and the sense of history to see that troubles come and go, and that disasters are seldom as bad as they seem. It was that indomitability, that humour, that work ethic and that sense of history that, together, made her Elizabeth the Great.
When I call her that, I should add one final quality, of course: her humility—her single-bar-electric-fire, Tupperware-using refusal to be grand. I can tell the House, as a direct eyewitness, that unlike us politicians, with our outriders and our armour-plated convoys, she drove herself in her own car, with no detectives and no bodyguard, bouncing at alarming speed over the Scottish landscape, to the total amazement of the ramblers and tourists we encountered.
It is that indomitable spirit with which she created the modern constitutional monarchy—an institution so strong, so happy and so well understood, not just in this country but in the Commonwealth and around the world, that the succession has already seamlessly taken place. I believe she would regard it as her own highest achievement that her son, Charles III, will clearly and amply follow her own extraordinary standards of duty and service. The fact that today we can say with such confidence, “God save the King” is a tribute to him but, above all, to Elizabeth the Great, who worked so hard for the good of her country not just now but for generations to come. That is why we mourn her so deeply, and it is in the depths of our grief that we understand why we loved her so much.
Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty) (Con)
It is with great sadness that I rise to speak in the tributes to Her late Majesty the Queen, not only on my behalf, but on behalf of my constituents in Selby and Ainsty. The news that the whole nation had been dreading brings the reign of the longest-serving monarch in British history to an end. As we have heard, as a child, she was not expected to be Queen, but her destiny, and that of our nation, changed when her father acceded to the throne as King George VI. As a 21-year-old woman, she pledged to live a life of service. No one anywhere can say that she did not deliver on that pledge.
I vividly recall the celebrations for the Queen’s silver jubilee in my village and across the nation. It is incredible that she also celebrated golden, diamond and platinum jubilees. Her life spanned some of the most amazing milestones of the last century—the discovery of penicillin, the moon landings, and the invention of the world wide web. She also circumnavigated the world, visiting hundreds of countries, including those Commonwealth countries that she held in such affection. The Queen also visited Selby in my constituency, alongside her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1969, when they came to present Maundy money to 43 men and 43 women at Selby abbey; 10,000 people lined the town’s streets that day to welcome and catch a glimpse of their monarch.
Like many hon. and right hon. Members, I had the privilege of meeting the Queen, both times at the palace. I cannot tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker, how nervous I was as we lined up to meet her. All my nerves were calmed, however, once I had been greeted by that beautifully warm smile and her welcoming words. That warmth, and that smile, has comforted our nation over the decades, through good and challenging times. The word “constant” has been widely used; that is exactly what Her late Majesty was. It is difficult to imagine life without her, and it feels as though we have all lost a grandmother.
My right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), in his touching speech, referred to Her late Majesty as Elizabeth the Great. He was absolutely right to do so. She was a truly great monarch—in some ways, the greatest monarch. Her late Majesty was also a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. My thoughts and prayers are with her family, and especially with King Charles III, who succeeds her to the throne. As my right hon. Friend also said, it is a tribute to her that we can say with great confidence: God save the King.
We owe Her late Majesty a great debt of gratitude. May God bless her and keep her. May she rest in peace, and if I may paraphrase a small bear from darkest Peru, “Ma’am, thank you for everything.”
Robert Jenrick (Newark) (Con)
I am grateful as a Front Bencher for being permitted to speak from the Back Benches—though in my case it might be hard to keep up. I am aware that my appointment was, along with those of others, one of the last acts of Her late Majesty. That thought will lie with me every day that I go about my duties, because she really was the last of a generation that has now passed—a generation marked by stoicism, humility, modesty and service. Those qualities, too often neglected in our politics and our public life, are ones that I, like all others in this House, seek to emulate.
I am here to represent my constituents in the loyal borough of Newark-on-Trent—loyal because in May 1646, we were the last town to hold out in the English civil war. The town surrendered only when the King—a forebear of Her Majesty’s, and another Charles—said that we must. At the end of the war, the town was racked with disease and pestilence, but all contemporary accounts show that no one regretted their decision to stand by the monarch. That shows that even in a hereditary monarchy, and certainly in our modern democracy, the loyalty of the people to the Crown is not something that any monarch can take for granted; it has to be earned.
From the speeches made from all parts of the Chamber today, we can see that Her late Majesty the Queen, over the course of her long and remarkable reign, earned the respect and admiration—indeed, the love—of her people. She really has been the golden thread that has run through the warp and weft of our national story. My grandmother stood in the crowd on the Mall and watched the Queen and her family celebrate on VE Day. My dad watched the coronation—as did others who have spoken—on a small, rented television set, and marvelled at her beauty. Afterwards, he created a bonfire on the street, and it took the council years to fill in the pothole, so some things clearly never change.
I met Her late Majesty only a few times. Once, I did so on Zoom, as other Members have said they did. It was a Privy Council meeting. As has happened to us all many times during the pandemic, the Zoom failed. Out of the darkness, a voice suddenly emerged. It was Her late Majesty the Queen, and she said, “Well, thank goodness someone kept a landline.”
Just the other day, I went with my family, including my children, who are the great-grandchildren of holocaust survivors, to see Anne Frank’s house. My children, who had gone ahead of us on the tour, came back to me and said that in the secret annexe ahead, among the images on the walls were photos of Her late Majesty the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, and her sister Princess Margaret. I later researched with my daughters why that was. Otto Frank, Anne’s father, is recorded as saying later in life that Anne Frank loved the royals—but that was not the only reason. He wanted to put some photos on the wall that would give the children strength, and Anne Frank also said that the beautiful smile kept her going. May the Queen rest in peace, and God save the King.
Mr Robin Walker (Worcester) (Con)
As someone with the honour of representing the faithful city of Worcester, I want to pass on the love, prayers and good wishes of constituents and faith and civic leaders to all the royal family, especially His Majesty the King, at this sad historic moment. I can associate myself with the remarks containing so many superlatives that we have heard from across the House today, but I want to focus on two things: Her Majesty’s faith and her profound connection with children, which the hon. Member for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith) spoke about.
Her late Majesty swore at her coronation to be a defender of the faith. In so many messages over the decades, she not only defended but enhanced and gently protected the role of faith in our society, not only for her own Church of England but, as we have heard from people of all faiths and denominations, for people across the whole United Kingdom of all faiths and none.
When Princess Elizabeth first visited Worcester in 1951, she was already the mother of two small children, and the beautiful princess was greeted by flower girls and a parade of Scouts and Guides outside the cathedral. As a lifelong patron of the Guides and a former Girl Guide herself, as well as the fount of so many Queen’s Scout awards, she has inspired millions of young people.
She returned as Queen in 1957 and visited New Road, the most beautiful cricket ground in England, with her consort Prince Philip, touring the boundary in an open top Land Rover to the cheers of 5,000 local schoolchildren. After more visits in the 1980s when she distributed Maundy money and celebrated the anniversary of the city’s charter, her final visit to Worcester and the proudest moment of my life was at her diamond jubilee. Her Majesty opened the Hive library, a joint city and university library that is the first of its kind in Europe and a fabulous repository of children’s books. I was fortunate enough to be in the welcoming party for that visit, and to join some wonderful volunteers from local charities and children from local schools at the event and in being presented to Her Majesty the Queen. What struck me, as so many have already reported, was her smile, her bright humorous eyes, her genuine interest in the people to whom she was introduced and the instant connection she formed with children.
Most recently, children in schools up and down our country were able to celebrate and learn about our Her Majesty at her remarkable platinum jubilee. They joined children from successive generations in singing, dancing and making wonderful art to celebrate a jubilee of this longest serving sovereign. She was described by one of our former Prime Ministers as a matriarch, and of course that is right, but I think we have also lost the world’s favourite granny.
I join my right hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson) and Paddington Bear in simply saying on behalf of us all, “Thank you, Ma’am, for everything”.
Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)
It is with sadness that I offer my tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen on my behalf and that of the people of Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough.
I suppose that the first time the Queen came into my consciousness was when, as a small boy, I was standing outside the house waiting for some lady in a big posh car to go past as she marked her silver jubilee in 1977. From then on, there were many royal occasions—the jubilees, the royal weddings—when we all enjoyed street parties on our estate. I thought about those street parties when the Queen’s 90th birthday was coming up and thought that I had not seen one in our community for some time, so we decided—a group of our friends—to organise one. We were staggered when thousands of people in the community came out to celebrate Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. We also saw that reflected on the Mall recently during the jubilee, when literally hundreds of thousands turned up. Why? Because they respected and loved her; because they recognised that this was a woman of great dedication who wanted to serve her country in the best way that she could, and that she would work to the very last day, as she committed to do all those many years ago.
Last night, a couple of us went up to the Palace, where, again, people were meeting and strangers were talking, all sharing conversations and memories about Her late Majesty the Queen. The British public were showing how much they loved her.
The Queen was there when we needed her most. Many have talked about the pandemic and when our country had those awful terrorist attacks. She has always given warm words and comfort to the victims and their families. We will remember the amazing speech that she made in the hospital in London, when she said that
“they will not change our way of life.”
I do not know about anybody else, but whenever I visit a constituent who is celebrating their 100th birthday, the card from Her Majesty the Queen is front and centre in the living room—of course, and why would it not be? It is something they are so proud to have.
Many have also mentioned schoolchildren asking, “Have you met the Queen?” For many years in this place, I was unable to say that I had, until I was honoured to be appointed as the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household. I remember when I was about to be introduced to her, waiting for those doors to be opened. When they finally did, I realised that I had become a little boy again, standing there with my knees knocking and wondering how I would address Her Majesty. As others have said, she put me at ease and made me feel incredibly welcome.
As Vice-Chamberlain, I had to write the daily reports from Parliament. She liked the gossip, I understand, which is heart-warming. I was also taken hostage at the Palace, when Her Majesty came to open Parliament. I was offered a drink, and was asked whether I would like tea or coffee. One of the officials looked at me and thought, “You look more like a champagne man.” I thought, I am never going to do this again, so why not? It was a big bottle of champagne and I had a good time. A couple of months later there was a general election and I had to do it again. As Her Majesty was leaving Buckingham Palace, she turned to me and said, “You’ll have a good time again, won’t you?”
To conclude, after the awful attacks of 9/11, the Queen said to the people of America:
“Grief is the price we pay for love.”
We all loved her, which is why we are grieving, and we send our thoughts and best wishes to His Majesty the King and his family, and we say, “God save the King.”
Several hon. Members rose—
Greg Hands (Chelsea and Fulham) (Con)
I rise to add my tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of my Chelsea and Fulham constituents at a time of great sadness for the whole country. She was much loved in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and among my Fulham constituents. She came at least once a year to my constituency, to the Chelsea flower show.
Indeed, it was at the Chelsea flower show that I personally met the Queen for the first time, in 2010, and the last time, just three months ago. The Chelsea flower show was one of her absolute favourite events. She rarely, if ever, missed it. She may have been to it more than 70 times. But in 2010 it was my first Chelsea flower show. I was third in the royal receiving line and exceptionally nervous. This was not helped by the receiving line taking around two hours, as almost the entire royal family came, at 10-minute intervals, starting with Princess Alexandra. Eventually the Queen arrived and all passed well. I had bowed in the right place and extended her my hand at the right time. We had a brief, charming and pleasant conversation. I could relax—except that I had forgotten one thing: she was not the last of the royal family to come. There was still, moments later, the Duke of Edinburgh. I realised my mistake and almost fell over, having messed up my bow and called him “Your Majesty”, to which the Duke smiled and said, “Are you new?” I pay tribute to him today as well: the late Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen’s beloved husband.
The last time I saw Her Majesty was at this year’s Chelsea flower show, which she toured with great enthusiasm in a golf cart. She was radiant and, as ever, fascinated by the displays. It was simply amazing to see her at the age of 96.
The Queen was much loved by my Fulham constituents as well. Indeed, one of the iconic pieces of video footage from the 1977 silver jubilee is a clip of a group of women on Kingwood Road in Fulham, arm in arm, wearing jubilee hats and singing, all together, “Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner”. She will be grieved and warmly remembered the length of King’s Road and, appropriately, along New King’s Road as well.
I also met Her Majesty in my role as the Government’s Deputy Chief Whip. Many in this House will know that the Deputy Chief Whip is also the honorific Treasurer of Her Majesty’s Household. The role comes with a wand of office, which looks like a long billiard cue and unscrews in the middle. My right hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson) referred to it earlier. The day came in October 2013 for the transfer of the wand of office from my predecessor, Sir John Randall—now Lord Randall—to me in a ceremony at the palace. I was once again nervous, but once again it all started well. Sir John handed the Queen the wand of office, which she then handed to me. But I started fidgeting with it—I found it a fascinating article—as Sir John carried on speaking with Her Majesty. I started absentmindedly to unscrew the wand of office. I got an alarmed look from Her Majesty and an alarmed look from Sir John Randall, who told me, “Stop it!” I was told afterwards that if I had unscrewed entirely the wand of office, that would have meant rejecting the office and that Sir John would have had to come back here as the Government’s Deputy Chief Whip.
But that was not the worst thing. A minute or two later, the Queen suddenly said to me and Sir John—bear in mind that this was in 2013, at around the time of growing European rebellion in the Conservative party— “I do think Mr Baron has a point”, referring to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Baron). By now I was a total wreck. The Queen was seemingly pronouncing on the greatest political issue of the time, and I had to give her an answer of behalf of the Government. Fortunately, she saw my difficulty and clarified that it was in reference to one of my hon. Friend’s many other rebellions—regimental mergers—and was nothing to do with Brexit at all.
The Queen’s historic significance, the length of her reign, everything that she had seen, the fact that she met every US president during her reign except one, the fact that her first Prime Minister was Sir Winston Churchill, who was born more than 100 years before my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Norfolk (Elizabeth Truss), and the fact that Josef Stalin was still in the Kremlin when she came to the throne, show her historical significance. On behalf of my Chelsea and Fulham constituents, I pay tribute to the Queen and wish King Charles III a happy reign of many years.
Victoria Prentis (Banbury) (Con)
In her address to the nation during the pandemic, resplendent, we remember, in her NHS scrub coloured dress and brooch, Her Majesty praised
“the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling”,
which she felt characterised our nation. They are qualities she modelled for us and for which we loved her, but to them she added a less definable quality: a presence, a splendour which came from her deep faith and her certainty that the Crown is at the very centre of our constitution. This, combined with her considerable beauty and charm, meant she lit up every room.
I will never forget the day she came to Banbury in 2008 on the 400th anniversary of the town’s charter. Later that day, she opened the Oxford Children’s Hospital. My largest donors were corralled for really quite a long time for security reasons before she appeared. The excitement in the room, and some very healthy competition, meant that that was the most lucrative hour I have ever spent in fundraising.
It is clear from the speeches today that we saw in the Queen a reflection of our own passions—for diplomacy, for charity, for institutions, for the countryside, for racing. We feel that she loved every one of our constituencies. The combination of service and majesty is unbeatable, and this will endure. God save the King.
Mr Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) (Con)
I speak for all my constituents in Nuneaton when I speak of our deep sadness at Queen Elizabeth’s passing and our gratitude for her long and distinguished reign. On behalf of my constituents, I convey our deepest condolences to King Charles III and our late Queen’s family.
Like a number of Members who have spoken today, I have had the absolute honour and privilege of being the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household and the Comptroller of the Household. When I was made Vice-Chamberlain, I was dispatched to the palace with my right hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew), who spoke earlier. We did the exchange of wands of office with Her Majesty. I was as nervous as a kitten, but it went extremely well and I was very pleased with myself.
Moments later, I was handed a Humble Address that I was to ask Her Majesty to sign, which I would then bring back and deliver in the House, as per the norm. I went back into the room and handed Her Majesty the Humble Address. She looked at me and said, “I don’t have a pen.” I searched around frantically inside my jacket—it seemed like an age, but it was only a few seconds—and I said, “Ma’am, I’m afraid I don’t have a pen either.” Quick as a flash, she said, “Don’t worry. Follow me.” All of a sudden I was on this surreal journey, trailing in the wake of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II along this long corridor—stopping on the way to give a bit of a fuss to one of the corgis.
We came to the Queen’s study, and I could see the volume of papers and the number of red boxes. This was two weeks before the first lockdown, and I could see the number of things that the Queen was doing at that time on our behalf. She signed the Humble Address with her own pen and then asked me about my wife and family. It was fantastic, and I came out of that room feeling on top of the world. It would not matter whether the Queen was talking to a President, a Prime Minister, a schoolchild on a school visit, or a patient in a hospital or a hospice, all of them would have gone away with exactly the same feeling. That was one of Her Majesty’s abiding qualities among many others. Thank you, Ma’am, for your dedication and service to our nation. God save the King.
Vicky Ford (Chelmsford) (Con)
I remember as a child being given a large pair of scissors and a huge stack of well-thumbed magazines and being asked to make a massive collage of pictures of the Queen and her family. It was the silver jubilee, and there did not seem to be any arrangement for a party, so my mother had decided to fling open the doors and hold a fête. We wrapped up presents to put in the lucky dip, we even arranged to have a candy floss machine, and somebody bought some ponies for pony rides—but we did not know whether people would come. I wanted to tell this story because this was in Omagh, in Northern Ireland, in 1977, in the middle of the troubles—but the people came. They came in their hundreds. They came from all walks of life. The Protestants came. The Catholics came. And they came because they loved our Queen.
People love our Queen. She has been the rock beneath our feet in troubled times and the light that has shown us the way in the darkness. They love her in Chelmsford, they love her across the country and they love her across the world. During my political career, I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries, especially in the past year, and I have felt that love and fondness again and again. It is particularly in many developing countries that I have felt that love, respect and gratitude. That is because, at every Christmas message, and in so many visits and events, the Queen used her voice to speak out for the most vulnerable and to make sure that their voices were heard. As the Development Minister that she appointed earlier this week, I pledge to continue that legacy for her.
I also know how much love and respect there is for our new monarch, King Charles III, especially for his work on the environment and climate change. My condolences, my thoughts and my prayers are with him and his family. I look forward to his reign. God save the King.
Maggie Throup (Erewash) (Con)
It is with the deepest sadness that I rise to speak on behalf of the people of Erewash to pay tribute to our late sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
In an era of unprecedented change, Her Majesty has been a constant beacon of strength and stability whose sense of duty and public service remained until the very last moment of her life.
While, today, Britain mourns the passing of our Head of State, we must first and foremost remember that the King and his family have lost their beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother—a sense of grief and sorrow that will be familiar to all of us who have lost loved ones. I wish to extend my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the King and the whole royal family at this sad time.
It is estimated that around one third of the country has either met or seen the Queen during her reign. It is fair to say that she will have touched each and every one of us in some way or another. For me personally, I am immensely proud to have achieved the Queen’s Guide award. I know that the values I learned en route to that award have helped me to serve as a Member of Parliament today.
As a woman born in the first decade of the Queen’s reign, I, like so many others, view Her Majesty as an icon and a role model. She was not only a beautiful lady in mind and spirit, but someone who approached the heavy burden of the Crown with grace and good humour in order to serve us—her people—perhaps aided by one or two marmalade sandwiches at times.
Although not originally destined to ascend to the throne, in 1952 our new Queen stood out as one of the few married working mothers, and certainly the only female Head of State of any major western power. Seven decades later, and following Her Majesty’s example, women have firmly cemented their position in the workplace. They are represented in every sector, from construction to Government—perhaps the most poignant reminder of which was the appointment, just four days ago, of my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Norfolk (Elizabeth Truss) as the Queen’s third female Prime Minister.
Now, as the second Elizabethan age draws to a close and our new Carolean era begins, our country, the Commonwealth and its people stand ready for whatever challenges may lie ahead, better prepared for having been led by Her Majesty for more than 70 years, and united behind our new sovereign, King Charles III. God save the King.
Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)
My thoughts, and those of Gillingham and Rainham, are with His Majesty King Charles III and the rest of the royal family.
I will refer to a prayer from St John Henry Newman, a great British saint with a global impact. It was a privilege and honour for me, as the then Prime Minister’s special envoy for freedom of religion and belief, to be part of the 2019 delegation led by His Majesty the King for the canonisation of John Henry Newman.
The prayer I wish to share, “The mission of my life”, begins:
“God has created me to do Him some definite service.”
Her late Majesty’s selfless commitment to public service is an example to us all of definite service. The prayer continues:
“He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.”
God gave Her Majesty all our work, and she did it with complete distinction, commitment and grace, always giving without expectation of any return. John Henry Newman continues:
“I have my mission—I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next…I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.”
Her Majesty was most certainly an amazing link that brought us all together from all parts of the United Kingdom, from all parts of the Commonwealth, from all parts of the world, and from all faiths and none, based on her values of kindness, compassion, respect and acceptance of others.
John Henry Newman goes on to say:
“He has created me for naught. I shall do good.”
Her Majesty certainly did that. Finally, he says:
“I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments”.
Her Majesty was most certainly an angel of peace and a preacher of truth. Your Majesty, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your values—what you stood for—will forever live on and be an inspiration for us all.
I also say this: there could be no one finer than His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, to take our great country forward, given his values and what he stands for. There is one thing that has not been mentioned so far: for decades, His Majesty King Charles III has been committed to interfaith dialogue. He been committed to bringing together people of all faiths and none. Some 80% of our world has one faith or another. If somebody such as His Majesty King Charles III is committed to bringing people together, and people know his commitment to interfaith, he can bring our world together for the common good. God save the King.
Amanda Solloway (Derby North) (Con)
It is the greatest honour to be here today to pay tribute on behalf of my constituents in Derby North and of course to make my own tribute.
Since the heartbreaking news yesterday that simply took my breath away, I have been reflecting on the influence that the Queen had on me and many people across the world. All my life, I have known the legacy that she has given us. All of my life, I have admired this amazing woman, and today my heart is so sad to say goodbye to her. She was universally our Queen, she cared passionately for us all and truly embodied what it means to serve. She promised to devote her whole life to serving her people, and her generous heart never missed a beat. It was a heart of compassion, love and kindness. Through joyous and turbulent times—so difficult that I can hardly imagine it—she carried herself with grace and dignity, a role model for future generations, just like the generation of my wonderful grand-daughter. She was the very best of all of us—the very best of humanity: strong, yet compassionate; loving and steadfast. She laughed with us as a country, her fantastic smile lighting up our lives. She mourned with us, and led us through the darkest of times: a great diplomat, leader, mother, wife, grandmother and great-grandmother and, like me, an animal lover.
The Queen carried us through the very worst of times, and held our hand through the very best. My constituents of Derby North thank her from the bottom of their hearts for a lifetime of service, for her guidance and her never-faltering service. To quote King Charles III, it was
“a life well lived”.
Thank you, your Majesty. Rest in peace.
Jane Hunt (Loughborough) (Con)
I rise to speak on behalf of the constituents of Loughborough, Shepshed, Quorn, Barrow, Sileby, Hathern, Mountsorrel and the Wolds villages to express their deep sorrow at the loss of our sovereign, Her Majesty the Queen.
Loughborough had the privilege of hosting Her Majesty on a number of occasions during her reign, including in 1996 when she opened the new English and drama building at Loughborough Grammar School, which was named the Queen’s Building in her honour. Her Majesty also visited in 1966 when she signed and sealed the Royal Charter of Incorporation that granted university status to Loughborough College of Technology, which became Loughborough University.
We were also very proud to be involved in the Queen’s baton relay in the lead-up to the Commonwealth games in Birmingham this summer. I spoke on behalf of Loughborough constituency in the Humble Address speech for her platinum jubilee earlier this year, saying that the Commonwealth is, of course, the jewel in the crown. Throughout her reign, Her Majesty has overseen its modernisation to ensure that it represents everyone and brings together communities from across the world, and that is undoubtedly true.
Loughborough will again be on the world stage this weekend when bells will ring across the country and across the world. Many of those bells will have been made in Loughborough at Taylor’s Bell Foundry, the world’s largest working bell foundry, including the casting of the Great Paul Bell at St Paul’s cathedral. We will be filled with both sadness and great pride that our bells say goodbye to our sovereign Queen and also welcome our new monarch, King Charles III. Loughborough is honoured to play its part in marking this solemn and moving occasion in British history.
In closing, I quote Her late Majesty when she said that
“grief is the price we pay for love.”
There will be a great deal of grief felt over these next few weeks and that is because there was a great deal of love for her throughout the 96 years of her life. Truly, she was Elizabeth the Great. May she rest in peace. God save the King.
Simon Baynes (Clwyd South) (Con)
Across the length and breadth of my constituency of Clwyd South, people have paid heartfelt tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen. Part of what made her so special was her combination of majesty and modesty, which made her both a remarkable Head of State and an approachable person whom millions have enjoyed meeting or seeing at close quarters, at home and abroad.
In Clwyd South, people have been recalling her many visits over the years, including to Corwen in 1949, when she was still Princess Elizabeth, and to Llangollen in 1953 on her post-coronation tour, when she attended the Llangollen international musical eisteddfod and took a trip on the Llangollen steam railway. Those visits continued over the years—to Overton-on-Dee, Wrexham and elsewhere. In all those cases, people felt a special connection with this smiling, friendly and unassuming monarch, supported so magnificently by Prince Philip.
Unlike many other speakers today, I never had the honour of meeting the Queen in person, but I am proud to say that both my mother and I shared a birthday with Her late Majesty, namely 21 April. Also, as a small boy in 1964, I remember the excitement in my family when my father commanded the Queen’s Guard at Balmoral. We spent the summer in Ballater while he carried out his official duties, supported by my mother. Like everyone I have met who has served the Queen in an official capacity, my father thought the world of her.
As has been mentioned many times, yesterday there were rainbows over both Buckingham Palace and Windsor castle. I like to think of the Queen’s reign as a rainbow of dedicated service, overarching my life and that of the nation. I felt that most strongly in the wonderful address, to which many Members have referred, that she gave the nation in April two years ago, at the start of the covid crisis, in which she said:
“The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by children.”
The Queen embodied our national spirit with her great sense of community, kindness and dedicated service, for which we are eternally grateful. My thoughts and prayers, and those of my constituents in Clwyd South, are with her beloved family. God rest her soul. God save the King and bless the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Julie Marson (Hertford and Stortford) (Con)
It is a solemn honour to rise in this debate to pay tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen, both personally and on behalf of my constituents in Hertford and Stortford. It is humbling to follow so many wonderful and fine tributes.
The King himself, in his moving address, made reference to a speech that many in the Chamber have mentioned, in which his mother the late Queen, on her 21st birthday, made a declaration that her whole life, whether long or short, would be devoted to our service. We know now that her life was long and that for every day of her 70-year reign she magnificently honoured that solemn vow.
In that same speech, the Queen said:
“I am thinking especially today of all the young men and women who were born about the same time as myself and have grown up like me in terrible and glorious years of the second world war.”
It is that, alongside her vow of devotion to duty, that resonates with me today. Perhaps it is because she was speaking about those like my own parents, now themselves in their 90s and children of the east end and the blitz.
I am struck more than ever that Her late Majesty, both as a person and as a monarch, represents a link between our generations. She is a tangible human link to our nation’s past—to its struggles, but most of all to its finest hour. She is also a link to our own individual pasts—our personal histories and those of our families. We have heard many of those stories here today.
The Queen, with her ability to evoke the spirit of what we rightly call the greatest generation, gave what in my view was the finest speech of the covid crisis. She said that she hoped
“those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any,”
and of course she said that “we will meet again”. Her late Majesty personified that link with our past and with the greatest generation. We shall not see her like again.
Arthur Balfour was Prime Minister in 1901 and addressed this Chamber on the death of Queen Victoria. He said then that
“the end of a great epoch has come upon us”.—[Official Report, 25 January 1901; Vol. 89, c. 20.]
With the passing of our Queen, the end of a great historical epoch has indeed passed, but we are all privileged to have lived at least some of our lives in the great second Elizabethan age. We mourn her but we cherish her memory and her lifetime of service. God bless Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. God save the King.