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Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (12/09/2022) – 201 days

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 12 September 2022.

Ukrainians!

All Europeans!

And everyone in the world who believes that terror should have no place on earth.

Why is the biggest source of terror in the world – Russia – still able to wage this war? And why can it wage the war so cruelly and cynically? There is only one reason – insufficient pressure on Russia. The response to the terror of this state is insufficient.

Just look at what Russia can afford. No other terrorist has ever done this in history – so many things at once.

Radiation terror at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Six power units! The presence of Russian troops at the plant, constant Russian provocations and shelling of the plant’s territory alone put Ukraine and all of Europe on the brink of a radiation disaster.

Energy terror. Residents of many countries around the world are suffering due to the painful increase in prices for energy resources – for electricity, for heat. Russia does it deliberately. It deliberately destabilizes the gas market in Europe. With its strikes it deliberately limits our Ukrainian ability to export electricity to Europe. The export of electricity from Ukraine could alleviate the severity of the energy crisis in Europe in the same way that the export of our food relieves the severity of the food crisis in the world.

Hunger terror is a very cynical and completely deliberate tactic of Russia. And it is directed not just against poor countries, but specifically against those regions of the world from which a new inflow of refugees may come to Europe. Severe migrant crisis in Europe – this is the calculation of the terrorist state.

Fortunately, together with our partners, together with the UN, Turkey, we managed to achieve an export grain initiative. Russia was forced to unblock our ports. But now it is threatening a blockade again.

And how does the world react? There is still no official recognition of Russia as a state – sponsor of terrorism. Citizens of the terrorist state can still travel to Europe for vacation or shopping, they can still get European visas, and no one knows whether there are torturers or murderers among them who have just returned from the occupied territory of Ukraine. Until now, Russian propagandists can still work precisely in those countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, which are threatened with the greatest chaos due to price and energy crises created by Russia. We are still forced to ask for help in protecting our skies from Russian missiles – after 200 days of full-scale war!

Yesterday and today, the Russian army struck the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians found themselves in the dark – without electricity. Houses, hospitals, schools, communal infrastructure… Russian missiles hit precisely those objects that have absolutely nothing to do with the infrastructure of the Armed Forces of our country.

On the one hand, this is a sign of the desperation of those who invented this war. This is how they react to the defeat of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region. They can’t do anything to our heroes on the battlefield, and that’s why Russia is directing its vile strikes against civilian infrastructure.

On the other hand, Russia is trying to prevent us from directing Ukraine’s capabilities in such a way as to stabilize the situation in Europe. Our electricity export is something that Russia is very afraid of right now. Because we can disrupt Russian plans to empty the pockets of Europeans this winter due to crazy energy prices.

We still need to strengthen our cooperation in order to overcome Russian terror. Russia must be designated a terrorist state. Strengthen sanctions – the eighth EU sanctions package is needed. Increase aid to Ukraine, and above all speed up the provision of air defense systems.

I am grateful to all the rescuers who fought the consequences of Russian missile strikes at energy facilities. Hundreds of settlements in several regions of Ukraine were cut off due to these strikes.

At the request of the Minister of Internal Affairs, today I would like to especially note the contribution to the stabilization of the situation of Major General of the Civil Protection Service Oleksandr Volobuyev, Colonel of the Civil Protection Service Oleksandr Mislavskyi, Senior Lieutenant of the Civil Protection Service Vitaliy Dzyabko, Ensign of the Civil Protection Service Denys Kostenko and fireman, Ensign Oleksandr Gulyi. Thank you. I am grateful to you and your colleagues!

The energy supply of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Poltava region, Sumy region, Kharkiv region and the city of Kharkiv was restored. But today there are new strikes at energy facilities. New blackouts in Kharkiv. And we must be aware that the meanness of Russian terrorists knows no bounds – they will try to make such a form of terror systematic.

On my behalf, the Prime Minister of Ukraine held a meeting today with the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Territories and Communities Development of Ukraine, the Ministry of Finance and Naftogaz. A coordinating headquarters will be formed to quickly respond to all such manifestations of Russian terror. Funds will also be allocated for the restoration of damaged objects and for assistance to the de-occupied territories.

From the beginning of September until today, our warriors have already liberated more than 6,000 square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine – in the east and south. The movement of our troops continues.

I am thankful to the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade, which has recovered from heavy fighting in the east and is advancing very bravely, very confidently in the south direction.

I am thankful to the 59th separate motorized infantry brigade for steadily moving forward despite everything – despite the features of the open terrain, despite the artillery of the occupiers.

I am thankful to the fighters of the 128th separate mountain assault brigade for the liberation of several settlements and very effective actions to neutralize the enemy’s activity. Guys, you are true heroes!

Separately, I want to thank our anti-aircraft fighters today. Yesterday, we all saw the consequences of the Russian strikes. But at the same time, most of the terrorists’ missiles were shot down. Nine of the twelve missiles were shot down. Seven missiles were shot down by warriors of the 138th Dnipro anti-aircraft missile brigade of the “East” air command, and two missiles were shot down by the sky defenders of the 96th Kyiv anti-aircraft missile brigade of the “Center” air command. Thank you, our defenders!

Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine!

Thank you to everyone who is really ready to fight against Russian terror!

We bring victory closer every day.

Glory to Ukraine!

15/09/2022
Charles Courtenay – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (19th Earl of Devon)

The tribute made by Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, I salute Her glorious and beloved Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Given her age and recent frailty, we have all, I am sure, imagined this day, but in its awesome realisation, I think we find it almost unimaginable and wholly surreal. We are, as a nation, bereft, with tears flowing unexpectedly and a peculiar ache of loss.

Her Majesty reigned for so long that this time feels unprecedented to us all, but of course it is not. I speak not to offer personal anecdotes—like the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, I never met her personally—and we have heard so many warm and wonderful reminiscences. Rather, I offer the House context in my role as the Earl of Devon, a title that has a particular affinity with our female monarchs.

The title was created by our first, and often forgotten, female monarch, Matilda. She was granddaughter of William I, whose reign was cruelly usurped on the death of her father, Henry I. The first Baron to raise his standard in her support was Baldwin, at Exeter Castle. For his unwavering support of the right of a woman to reign, he was created Earl of Devon in 1142.

Our second and unfairly maligned female monarch was Queen Mary. The Earl of Devon, her cousin, protested her parents’ divorce and the young princess’s own unjust disinheritance. As a result, he was attained and beheaded by Henry VIII for his devotion to female monarchy. The Earl’s young son grew up a prisoner in the Tower of London until Mary’s eventual succession, at which point he was released, recreated Earl of Devon, and carried the sword of state at her Coronation.

It is that title that I bear and, although the principles of inherited duty may be contentious outside the Royal Family, I am proud to speak on behalf of a family that served Matilda, Mary and each of our subsequent female monarchs, thankfully without a beheading for some centuries. It has been an enormous privilege to add my little part to that tradition of service to female rule.

As just stated, Queen Elizabeth II now takes her place among the pantheon of our greatest Queens and Kings. It is not for us to determine her exact position therein, but we can be sure that history will find her an exalted place. The sheer sweep of time over which she has presided and the humanity with which she did so has made sure of that. This swift canter through history also reminds us that it is now for us, the long-serving House of Lords, to support our nation in the traumatic passage of its sovereignty from Queen Elizabeth to His Majesty King Charles III. We have done this many times before, but it will not be easy. While this time provides us with the important opportunity for reflection on the nature of our constitution and the role of our monarch, I fervently hope that we do it many times into the future and with Her Majesty’s shining example to light the way.

In conclusion, I offer a few words as a Devonian. The county is proud beyond measure that it was in Dartmouth that Her Majesty first met her beloved Prince Philip, a moment from which sprung Her Majesty’s important role as spouse, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to so many and, indeed, to the nation. Finally, I welcome her grandson, Prince William, now the Duke of Cornwall, to his ancient role within the south-west peninsula. As a neighbour, I look forward to supporting his efforts to steward our glorious natural capital in his father’s eminent footsteps, and to debating with him the appropriate construction of a cream tea.

God save the King and his whole family.

15/09/2022
Michael Dobbs – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Dobbs)

The tribute made by Michael Dobbs, Lord Dobbs, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, it is truly humbling to take part in this debate after so many eloquent speeches from those who have known Her late Majesty so well, but I want to pay my own short tribute to a woman who has influenced so much of my life.

I suppose my most solid connection with Her late Majesty is the fact that I was born in the very same hour as her eldest son, our new King. I do not remember the occasion particularly well, but the birth certificate bears this out. As a young boy, I remember looking at the back of my pale hand and seeing these very blue veins and wondering just a little bit, “What if?” Fortunately, you and I have been spared.

Our late Queen came to us as a shy young woman and left us as the greatest of Queens, to stand alongside—perhaps even a step above—Victoria and the first Elizabeth. She was a Queen; a monarch; a woman; a wife who loved but one man ever, and who herself was loved by millions. She led us on the extraordinary and historic journey from an ageing and ailing empire to the enduring friendships of the Commonwealth, about which we have heard so much.

She was a woman who placed duty first, second and third, and who began it all again every single morning. That sense of duty and dignity, that unflappability, personal courage and wisdom, that love of Marmite sandwiches and, oh, that smile, and even shouts of joy—yes, she loved her horses, and winning. She was no pale functionary. She was an example of selfless leadership and we could have done no better; she was an example to us all. She was a golden thread that ran through the tapestries of our lives and the sinews that bind this nation together. They were bonds not of fear—that is the prerogative of leaders in some other countries—but of affection and of devotion; bonds which had tens of thousands of us pouring towards Buckingham Palace, not waving machine guns and severed heads but waving banners and shouting not chants of revolution but songs of joy. We were waving banners that told her how devoted to her we were and how much we loved her. That little word, “love”, keeps cropping up in our discussions about Elizabeth. How we rejoiced at her many jubilees. What fun we had, as other nations marvelled and quietly envied the very British secret that was Elizabeth.

Now the torch passes to another generation, whose sorrows today we share. We send our commiserations to our new King, His Majesty King Charles III, his Queen Consort, Camilla, and the entire family. We thank them for sharing with us the long, long life of such an extraordinary lady. We will bury her not only with sadness but with unquenchable pride and endless gratitude. Thank you, Ma’am.

The Queen is dead. Long live the King.

15/09/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Ceremonial and events guidance following the death of Her Majesty The Queen [15 September 2022]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 15 September 2022.

London

Her Majesty’s Lying-in-State at the Palace of Westminster is now formally open. You can view guidance on the event here. Details of accessibility arrangements are available here.

International

15:00

The UN General Assembly will convene a special session in New York paying tribute to The Queen. You can view the proceedings here.

Other Events

The following public events are taking place in towns and cities across the UK during the period of National Mourning. For more information about local events in your area please check you local authority’s website.

Bedford

Bedford Borough Council will be holding a public screening of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday 19 September at Bedford Corn Exchange. Residents must book their place to watch the proceedings in advance. For further information visit the Bedford Borough council’s website.

Birmingham

The state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be shown on a big screen in Centenary Square on Monday 19 September. For further information visit the Birmingham council’s website.

Blackburn

A service will be held at Blackburn Cathedral on Sunday 18 September at 2pm. The service will also be live streamed here.

Bradford

There will be a Civic Service at Bradford Cathedral on Sunday 18 September. The Cathedral will also be screening the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 19 September. Further details are available on Bradford Cathedral’s website.

Chester

Church services will take place on various dates across Chester, including at Chester Cathedral, Neston Parish, St Thomas Ellesmere Port and St Chad’s Winsford. For further information visit the Chester council’s website.

Coventry

The state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be screened live in Coventry city centre on Monday 19 September. A large screen is to be set up in University Square – between the Cathedral steps and Coventry University – to help people watch the 11am service and pay their respects. For further information visit the Coventry council’s website.

Exeter

The funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 19 September is being screened at Northernhay Gardens and Sandy Park at the Exeter City Football Club. Further details are available at Exeter City Council’s website.

Leeds

Live coverage of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be shown on Leeds Big Screen in Millennium Square on Monday 19 September between 10am – 6pm (times subject to confirmation of TV broadcast schedules). Further details are available on the Leeds City Council website.

Lichfield

Lichfield Cathedral will be holding a service of commemoration at the Cathedral at 3.30pm Sunday 18 September. There will also be a minute’s silence and outdoor vigil at the Memorial Park, Chastetown. More information can be found on the Cathedral’s website.

Liverpool

The official civic service of Remembrance for Queen Elizabeth II will take place at Liverpool Cathedral on Sunday 18 September at 3pm. Doors will open for members of the public at 2pm. For further information visit the Cathedral’s website.

Manchester

A requiem mass giving thanks for the life of the Queen will take place at 10:30am Sunday 18 September at Manchester Cathedral. A civic service will follow at 14:30pm. On Monday members of the public are invited to watch a live stream of the state funeral on large screens in the Cathedral. More information can be found on the Cathedral’s website here.

Newcastle upon Tyne

Live coverage of the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be shown on a screen in Old Eldon Square, Newcastle on Monday 19 September. Further information on the screening can be found on the council’s website. A Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving for the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will take place at 4pm the same day. Further information on the service can be found on Newcastle Cathedral’s website.

North Tyneside

North Tyneside Council will hold a service a service of remembrance to commemorate the distinguished service of Her Majesty The Queen at 6pm on Sunday 18 September at the Christ Church in North Shields. For further information visit the North Tyneside council’s website.

Stoke-on-Trent

The City of Stoke-on-Trent Council will be holding a service of commemoration (with procession) for Her Majesty The Queen at 6.30pm on Sunday 18 September at Stoke Minster. For further information visit the Stoke-on-Trent council’s website.

West Northamptonshire

West Northamptonshire Council will be holding a remembrance service for Her Majesty The Queen at 11am on Sunday 18 September at All Saints Church, Northampton. For further information visit the West Northamptonshire council’s website.

A service of commemoration for Her Majesty The Queen at 3.30pm on Sunday 18 September at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Market Place, Kettering. For further information visit the West Northamptonshire council’s website.

York

The City of York Council will hold a service a service of commemoration for Her Majesty The Queen (with a respectful procession of City of York Council members and the civic party, between York Mansion House and York Minster) at 4pm on Sunday 18 September at York Minster. For further information visit the City of York council’s website.

15/09/2022
Kishwer Falkner – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Baroness Falkner of Margravine)

The tribute made by Kishwer Falkner, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, I seem to be taking part in that bit of the proceedings where there are a lot of people who never had the honour of meeting Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth. I, among others in our nation and beyond, have known her only as our singular sovereign. I say that as a first-generation migrant to this country, coming from a republic, so my early experience was not of her as my Head of State. In fact, for many years after I arrived here, I continued to be a republican, but her example finally cured me of that heresy about 30 years ago.

The Queen’s presence among Commonwealth countries has been remarked on considerably today. There never was any doubt as to her status within that family of nations as its head. My first memory of seeing her was as a very young child when she and the late Duke of Edinburgh visited what was then East Pakistan, today’s Bangladesh, in 1961. My late father, who was an army officer, and my mother took us to Chittagong in a state of great excitement. My mother was of her generation, I think born in the same year, and was incredibly excited to see “the Queen”—there was never any question of needing a name—in the flesh. The Queen spoke beautifully, but more importantly for me as a child, she wore a beautiful dress. That sense of style stayed with her to the end.

In more recent times, I saw her in operation in her beloved Commonwealth when I served as a staffer at the Queensland CHOGM of 2002. I see that the noble Lord, Lord Jay, is not in his place; he was there as well in a slightly more significant role. It was a difficult one, after the 9/11 attacks, the problems of Mugabe and Zimbabwean democracy, and the expulsion of Pakistan after the Musharraf coup. There was a general sense of crisis. I said to my boss, who was a veteran of those meetings, “Oh my God, does she really need this on her plate?”, to which his reply was, “My dear girl, the odd coup or two in between these meetings wouldn’t even cause her to blink. She’s seen it all.”

A lot has been said about the late Queen Elizabeth’s personal qualities as our sovereign, but I also pay tribute to her deep knowledge and understanding of complex issues. After we as a country experienced the global financial crash of 2008, a furious debate was raging about all the assumptions that underpinned financial markets and capitalism. She asked to meet a bunch of senior economists at the London School of Economics, of which I am an alumnus. Nobel Prize winners were lined up wall to wall. After listening to the great and good in the world of economics, she asked the simplest of questions: “Why didn’t you see this coming?” This was the question being asked up and down the land in every house. She was always ahead of the game.

Tributes this morning spoke about the role faith played in the Queen’s life and the umbrella that the Church of England holds up on behalf of all faiths in our country. Speaking as another person from the Muslim world, I can say that the service that Queen Elizabeth represents, and which King Charles has so clearly articulated he wishes to continue, will sustain all their subjects in the weeks and years to come.

I am confident that we are, in our sorrow, one indivisible United Kingdom, irrespective of race, religion or creed. All of us mourn her passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with King Charles III and the wider family.

15/09/2022
PRESS RELEASE : Michael Gove announcement on education funding [July 2011]
The press release issued by the Department for Education on 19 July 2011.

The Secretary of State for Education has today set out how the Government will ensure that education funding is better targeted in the future.

The key announcements are:

Schools Capital
- The Government will provide £500 million to help local authorities provide extra school places – meeting the extra pressures caused by increased birth rates.
- A new school rebuilding programme has been launched. It will be targeted at those schools in the worst condition. Information will be available shortly from Partnerships for Schools.
- School Building regulations will be pared down significantly – cutting red tape and costs.
- The Government is minded not to fund the BSF projects which were the subject of a judicial review earlier this year, subject to further representations from the authorities involved.
- The recommendations of Sebastian James’s review on school building will be broadly accepted subject to a thorough consultation process on details and implementation. This consultation is being launched today and is available from the publications section. We will carry out a condition survey of all school buildings so that funding can be better targeted. We will revise school building regulations to reduce unnecessary burdens and bureaucracy. We will also improve the design of schools to achieve better buildings and better value.
Schools Funding
- A new consultation (available from the publications section) has been launched seeking views on proposals for a new, fairer and more transparent school funding system.
- The current funding system for maintained schools will continue in 2012-13.
- A consultation has been launched with Local Authorities only about LACSEG academy funding, to ensure that the rapid growth in academy numbers is funded fairly and to ensure that local authorities are not double funded for services they no longer provide. This consultation is available from the publications section
The Secretary of State has written to local authorities, schools and other partners setting out the full details of these announcements. The letter is available below.

Letter from the Secretary of State

Dear Colleague,

Today I am making a series of announcements on education funding with the aim of making the system fairer and less bureaucratic. These announcements cover both capital investment and school revenue funding. The key elements are outlined below.

Capital investment

I am announcing my initial response to Sebastian James’s review of education capital funding. I accept the majority of the review recommendations, subject to consultation.

This consultation will run for twelve weeks and will focus on two key areas. First, the best model for allocating and prioritising capital, recognising the increasing diversity of the schools estate; and secondly the proposals put forward on procurement and project management, calling for a more centralised approach to capture efficiencies and build expertise.

While there are undoubted benefits to implementing these proposals, I would like to hear views from all interested parties.

I am also keen to move forward more quickly on some of the other recommendations. I wish to develop a suite of standardised drawings and specifications for school buildings. I intend to collect condition data so that funding can be better targeted. I will also simplify the school premises regulations. I will consult fully on revised regulations in the autumn.

I am also announcing that an extra £500 million of capital funding will be available this financial year for those local authorities where rising pupil numbers is putting severe pressure on school capacity. Details of how allocations will be made will be provided over the summer and finalised in the autumn.

Furthermore, I am pleased to be launching a new privately financed school building programme. This programme will focus on the school buildings in greatest need of repair.

The programme will be available to all publicly funded schools. I am determined that criticisms of the previous model for private financing must be addressed and I will only agree to projects when a series of rigorous value for money tests have been passed.

Local authorities, schools, and organisations with responsibility for schools will be able to submit applications for the programme.

Information and guidance on preparing applications will be available online. Applications can be submitted between 3 and 14 October.

Revenue funding

The Government is also publishing a consultation on school funding reform: Proposals for a fairer system. This follows our earlier consultation in April, on the high level principles of school funding reform. The consultation will run for twelve weeks, closing on Tuesday 11 October.

The proposals in the consultation deal with the historic inequalities which have meant that similar schools in different areas receive very different levels of funding.

The consultation document sets out proposals to reform the system so that it is simpler and more transparent. We propose to introduce a new national formula so that money is allocated more consistently across the country. We also wish to expand the eligibility criteria of the Pupil Premium. The consultation also includes proposals for funding high need pupils and early education.

In order to allow sufficient time for consultation and to ensure that schools and local authorities have sufficient time to plan for possible changes, we are consulting on whether we should implement these reforms from 2013-14 or wait until a later spending period. We will maintain the current funding system for maintained schools for 2012-13. Details of the arrangements for funding academies in 2012/13, following our spring consultation, will be available in due course.

These reforms will bring substantial benefits. However, they will require funding to be moved between schools and areas, and will take time to have effect. We will apply transitional arrangements from the outset to ensure that the reforms are introduced at an appropriate speed that is manageable for schools. These transitional arrangements will limit the year on year change to schools’ budgets so that there is stability in budgets while the reforms are introduced.

Local Authority Central Services Equivalent Grant (LACSEG)

We will also be consulting local authorities, the Local Government Association and London Councils (in a separate, shorter consultation) on the level and basis for the Local Authority Central Services Equivalent Grant transfer in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

16-19 funding

The Department and the YPLA will be carrying out an open consultation on the 16-19 funding formula and methodology in the coming months. Building on the series of expert panels that schools, colleges, independent providers and their representative bodies have taken part in, we plan to launch the formal part of the consultation in the early autumn, subject to cross government clearance.

This is slightly later than originally planned but will allow us to align with the consultation on the general principles governing study programmes for 16-18 year olds as set out in Professor Wolf’s review of vocational education. The length of the consultation period will not be affected.

I look forward to receiving your views on today’s announcement.
15/09/2022
John Taylor – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

The tribute made by John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Holbeach, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, I am pleased to follow the noble Lord, Lord Kakkar, because I was with him on that very day, when I also took the Privy Council oath.

I start by saying how much I have enjoyed listening to other noble Lords talk about our late Queen and the way in which she has served the nation. We have heard some admirable speeches, as my noble friend Lord Wakeham said. I echo his admiration for her diligence in knowing what the issues are and being prepared to work to acquire that knowledge. Nobody can doubt that she has been a very hard-working and diligent monarch. She has combined that with constitutional integrity, which has been vital for this nation, the developing world and the Commonwealth of which she has been head.

Noble Lords have mentioned her human qualities. Perhaps that is an important dimension because that was how she was able to relate to many noble Lords here present who have had opportunities to get to know her, to work with her or to accompany her in particular activities.

I do not know whether I should declare an interest, but I want to talk about my family horticultural business. For 37 years, we have been the warrant holders, as bulb growers, to Her Majesty the Queen. Some people may say that is not a particularly proud boast, but I personally take great pleasure from it and it has preceded all this other stuff, of red Benches and the rest of it, and is probably more important in real terms than anything I have been able to do here. Although gardening does not compete with horses or dogs, it comes a very close second, and you have only to go round the royal gardens of royal properties at Balmoral, Windsor and Buckingham Palace to get an idea of how seriously Her Majesty took gardening. It was not just visits to Chelsea and scant things like that.

That has provided me with some common link. Perhaps I may end with a little bit of an anecdote from my political life, because I was a Lord in Waiting, which was for a number of us a great deal of fun and enjoyable, although it involved duties. I see colleagues here who are Baronesses in Waiting; they will know that it is a great honour but also interesting. One of the great things that the monarchy has done in this country is to make working with it interesting, with everybody feeling that it is a worthwhile thing to be doing.

Obviously, when I first went along to see Her Majesty, the bulb connection sprang to mind. It served as a common theme, so we talked about politics, of course, but we also talked about horticulture and the like. There was a famous occasion when we had a visit from a certain important ally. In fact, it was my last royal duty. We were part of the welcoming group at Buckingham Palace. The particular visitor was extraordinarily diligent, so much so that the bandmaster had to reprise the music while he inspected the guard of honour, as he insisted on stopping to speak to about every other person, asking them where they came from, what they did, how long they had been in the service or whatever it happened to be.

Subsequently, this particular distinguished visitor seemed to take an awfully long time moving around in the reception area. Her Majesty said to me, “I think we’re going to have to break this up. He’s getting stuck.” Of course, she was rather mischievous about this, but asked me what I thought we should talk to him about. I said, “Why don’t we talk to him about daffodils?” Of course, this particular President was not used to talking about daffodils. He had never met anybody who knew anything about daffodils, and he certainly did not know anything about them himself. He was much more interested in casinos, New York property development and things like that, if I might say so. Oh! I have revealed who it is. Never mind; the confidentiality of these speeches is well known.

I felt that it was evidence of her humanity that the thing that helped her through the days of hard work that she had to accomplish was the fact that she had a sense of humour, a genuine wit, and she was great fun. All noble Lords here who have had anything to do with Her Majesty will know that to be with her was great fun.

I wish the House comfort in its grief because we are all upset at her death. May the King live long.

15/09/2022
Ajay Kakkar – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Baron Kakkar)

The tribute made by Ajay Kakkar, Baron Kakkar, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, at this saddest of times I join other noble Lords in sending sincere condolences to His Majesty the King and members of the Royal Family. This has been a very moving day because of the remarkable tributes paid by so many noble Lords. They were deeply emotional, reminding us all of the very real loss that our nation has experienced. Although a very strong nation, it will regrettably find it very difficult to come to terms with that for some time to come.

So much has been said about Her late Majesty but I should like to make two observations, one professional and one personal. Her late Majesty was patron of so many medical organisations—medical royal colleges, hospitals and other organisations—and the Queen’s example and her values inspired the professions hugely, as we heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Watkins. That inspiration was vital at many times, particularly so during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Queen was, from the very beginning of her reign, patron of the King’s Fund, and we in the fund were deeply privileged to enjoy that patronage, which had a tremendous impact on the work of the fund over 70 years. Of course, during that period things have changed tremendously: life expectancy has increased and the way that medicine and healthcare are delivered has changed substantially.

The fund was established in 1897 by the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, to raise funds for the hospitals dealing with the poor in London. Its purpose has changed substantially over that period, but in 2008 the fund was privileged to receive its royal charter from Her Majesty, which continued the capacity for us to pursue the work that was so strongly supported. That deep commitment to the work of healthcare professionals was not only reflected in its support of organisations here in the United Kingdom but throughout the Commonwealth, and was vital in ensuring that the values that Her late Majesty so clearly expressed and practised could remain fundamental to the practice of medicine throughout the world.

The second observation I should like to make is much more personal. It reflects Her Majesty’s deep commitment to the Commonwealth and, through that deep commitment and example, the opportunity afforded to so many from Commonwealth countries to come to the United Kingdom. Among those subjects who came from another Commonwealth country to settle here in the United Kingdom were my parents in 1961. I remember, growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, how they were deeply inspired and moved by Her Majesty’s commitment to the Commonwealth and all its peoples, and indeed to those people who decided to come and settle here in the United Kingdom. It was a vital part of ensuring, during that important period in our national history, that subjects of all backgrounds had the capacity to make their contribution, to participate in the life of our country and, in the case of my parents, to contribute to the work of the National Health Service. It was a vital opportunity, afforded by a monarch who understood the importance of the sensitivity, kindness and example that would ensure the integration of those from all over the world in societies and communities across our country, providing the opportunity for them to make their contributions.

I remembered all this at a deeply moving moment in my own time: the day I had the privilege to kneel before Her Majesty and to swear my oath of allegiance on becoming a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council. I was particularly nervous that day but, as noble Lords have indicated, any audience with Her Majesty was always attended by her determination to ensure that one was put at ease. Kneeling there, I was deeply moved because I understood that it was Her Majesty’s values, her example and the work that she had done over so many decades that provided the opportunity for my family to settle here in the United Kingdom and the remarkable occurrence of my kneeling before Her Majesty to swear that oath. The fine example and the values of service, duty and commitment, always shown with kindness and thoughtfulness, are very powerful qualities that will live in the hearts of every one of Her late Majesty’s subjects. God save the King.

15/09/2022
John Wakeham – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Wakeham)

The tribute made by John Wakeham, Lord Wakeham, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, I have only recently come out of hospital, so I hope I can hang on to my stick and keep straight. I particularly wanted to come to this debate, not to say anything very remarkable but to listen to the speeches. The standard of the speeches that I have heard is as high as any that I have heard in this House over many years.

I think I am the Leader of the House of Lords from the longest ago—I was not Leader of the House of Lords the longest, but it is longer ago that I was Leader—and I have very much enjoyed what I have heard today. I will not go into my share of reminiscences. Listening to the debate, I wanted to say just one thing, which I think has not been sufficiently emphasised. Many of us who have been Ministers in the Government have been the slaves of their red boxes for years. I do not know whether it was for 10 or 15 years that I had to deal with my red boxes. I cannot imagine how I would have dealt with them for 70 years, but it was 70 years for which she did that.

A lot of what she succeeded in doing in her life was because she was so well prepared for every event. She was not only well prepared; she knew how to put that across in a way that did not reveal that she might have views of her own. Importantly, she put things across in an impartial way. In the excellent debate that we have had, the thing that I thought had not been emphasised enough was just what a lot of hard work she had to put up with over 70 years.

15/09/2022
Jonathan Evans – 2002 Speech on US Tariffs on Steel

The speech made by Jonathan Evans, the then Conservative MEP for Wales, on 13 March 2002.

This week in Barcelona the European Council will gather to seek to build upon the Lisbon Process. At that meeting, we will be pressing for more action to be taken on deregulation, and for more liberalisation, ensuring that we learn the lessons of employment flexibility. There are those of us who have felt, ever since we have arrived in the European Parliament, that there is a lot of rhetoric in this place about free trade, but also a great deal of protectionism with Member States here in Europe.

The entire agenda in Europe of taking forward a uniform competition policy and bearing down on state aid is geared towards ensuring that we have free trade. In these circumstances, those of us who count ourselves as the best friends of the United States are hugely disappointed by the action that the US President has taken. It is not putting it too strongly to say that, in a sense, we feel betrayed by it.

I do not link this to our support for the United States following the events of September 11. The events of September 11 were so horrific that they should not be linked with any sort of agreement in any other policy area. But for those of us who have been pointing to the United States as an example of a deregulated and liberalised economy, it has been a shattering blow to see the way in which President Bush, faced with the difficulties that his steel industry is encountering, has gone for protectionism.

What is even worse is to read in the Financial Times today a justification of this action from Robert Zoellick, the US Trade Representative. I feel sorry for Mr Zoellick, whom again we would regard as a friend of British Conservatives, because I must say that article destroys any credibility that he had in terms of discussion of trade issues.

The US representatives watching this debate need to know that, while we may have heard from the usual suspects in terms of anti-Americanism, those of us who are friends of the United States feel very badly let down indeed.

15/09/2022